Question: What Kinds Of Pain Problems Do Children Typically Have?
Answer: Children have many of the same types of pain problems as do adults. They have acute pain, which can be the result of surgical procedures, accidents, or acute illnesses. And -- and this surprises many people -- children can actually have chronic pain as well. In fact, statistics show that as many as 10 percent of children during the course of their childhood suffer from chronic pain. And the definition of chronic pain is pain that persists for 3 months or longer.
What are some of the sources of chronic pain in children? Probably some of the most common are chronic headache disorders, chronic abdominal pain that may or may not be associated with intra-abdominal pathology, limb pain disorders, there are growing pains, but there are also more serious limb pain disorders that can be very disabling and very crippling. And of course there are other sources of chronic pain that are associated with well-defined chronic illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, or other chronic disease states such as that.
Can The Same Treatments Used For Adults Be Used For Children?