9781422279632

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Chronic pain patients may be hesitant to take prescription opioids due to fear of becoming addicted.

Introduction to Chronic Pain

W hen people experience physical pain, they may decide to seek medical care. The health care pro- fessional attending to them performs a physical examination and run some tests to determine where the issue lies. Once they understand why the patient is in pain, some form of treatment—such as medication or physical therapy—is prescribed. The patient begins to heal, and eventually they are able to return to their daily life. For many people, this type of experience will comprise the majority of their interactions with medical professionals. For other people, the situation might not be so simple. Some people never fully heal, or the cause of their pain is never uncovered. Many of these people end up living with chronic pain.

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