Acute vs Chronic

Central Sensitization Syndrome (CSS) is a chronic condition, but what does that mean? Most often, an injury or illness is acute meaning that it has an identifiable onset, the symptoms match the problem, treatments work, and the duration has an end point. For example, if you were to break your ankle, you would most likely know the exact moment that it occurred. You might experience a sudden burst of pain in that specific location accompanied by a corresponding event that triggered the injury. Upon receiving medical care, the break would be identified and most likely treated with a cast, rest, and some over-the-counter medication for inflammation and pain management. After a few weeks, the break would heal and you would return to your normal routine without long-lasting limitations. 

In the case of a chronic condition, there may not be an identifiable onset. Many with CSS experience an accumulation of symptoms overtime that do not correlate with any particular cause. Some with CSS report merely waking up one day with unexplainable symptoms. Additionally, the symptoms experienced may not be contained to one area of the body further complicating the process of diagnosis and treatment. Medication may be prescribed to help mask symptoms, but they do not ultimately resolve them. Instead, more medication and medical intervention is prescribed only adding more symptoms, cost, and frustration.

Understanding and accepting that CSS is a chronic condition can be difficult. Healthcare interventions typically follow an acute care approach, leading to the presumption that symptoms must have a clear cause and cure. If one form of treatment is unsuccessful, it is often assumed that there must be a different reason for the symptoms and another treatment to try.

Despite the abundance of advertised solutions to long-lasting and unidentified symptoms, the central nervous system's sensitized sensors cannot be unsensitized. No medication, supplement, or surgery can change the way that the cells in our brain interpret signals. While this may sound disheartening, gaining a deeper understanding of CSS and it's underlying mechanisms can allow for an improved quality of life. 

For more information on CSS, see What is Central Sensitization Syndrome and Video Resources.