Chronic pain

Chronic pain is pain that persists or recurs beyond the normal time of healing, usually defined as lasting longer than three months, in people or animals.

It can follow an injury or illness or arise without a clear cause, and it may be nociceptive, from tissue damage or inflammation; neuropathic, from nerve injury; or nociplastic, from altered pain processing in the nervous system. Common examples include low back pain, osteoarthritis, migraine, fibromyalgia and neuropathy. Chronic pain frequently disrupts sleep, mood, activity and work, and in pets it often shows as reduced activity, irritability and changes in grooming or appetite.

Assessment uses self-report scales and functional questionnaires in people, and validated owner questionnaires plus veterinary examination in animals. Care is usually multimodal, combining physical therapy, psychological approaches, medication and, where relevant, treatment of the underlying condition. Cannabidiol-only evidence for chronic pain remains limited and heterogeneous despite widespread consumer interest.