Chronic pain syndrome is a common problem that presents a major challenge to health care providers because of its complex natural history, unclear etiology, and poor response to therapy.
Most authors consider it lasting longer than 6 months as diagnostic, others have used 3 months as the minimum criterion, and some suggest that any pain that persists longer than the reasonably expected healing time for the involved tissues should be considered chronic.

It is a constellation of syndromes that usually do not respond to the medical model of care; it is managed best with a multidisciplinary approach.

Chronic pain is reported more commonly in women. Its major effects in the patient's life are depressed mood, poor-quality or nonrestorative sleep, fatigue, reduced activity and libido, excessive use of drugs and alcohol, dependent behavior, and disability out of proportion to impairment.

See reference for details.

Adapted from Medscape Drugs & Diseases. Chronic pain syndrome. Available at http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/310834-overview. Accessed February 15, 2016. To view the entire article and all other content on the Medscape Drugs & Diseases site, a free, one-time registration is required.