The Why & How of Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions

Why/how? These patients…

• May become hypersensitive to pain as well as other sensory stimuli
• Tend to be more sensitive to light and sound as well as painful stimuli
• Suffer from fatigue and poor sleep
• Are more likely to suffer from mood disorders, like anxiety and depression, and have increased distress

Causes?

• There are many theories as to what causes them
• The most common themes in patients with these conditions is an alteration in the brain, the central nervous system, and the way the brain processes pain information
• There are probably multiple pathways in which a patient can develop a chronic overlapping pain condition
• There are genetic vulnerabilities
• Trauma can increase the likelihood of developing chronic overlapping pain conditions, whether early life trauma or a repetitive trauma
• Pain symptoms, and other symptoms, are often triggered by stressors