Guest Author - Anne Asher

Chronic pain is persistent pain. The time required to determine if a condition is chronic pain varies by author, but the general consensus is that if a pain from an injury or illness is still felt after 3-6 months, it is considered chronic.

Neuroplasticity
Chronic pain is often due to changes that happen in the nervous system after an injury is experienced. Previously it was thought that the nerves do not change throughout the course of our lives. Now, however, research has shown that the nervous system is capable of neuroplasticity. Basically, this means that changes occur in the nervous system after an injury that cause pain to be felt even after the healing has completed. Due to the neuroplasticity phenomenon, diagnosing a chronic pain condition can be very difficult for both the physician and the patient.

More on Chronic Pain
Here is another article on chronic pain.