Pain
Pain is described as an uncomfortable sensation in the body. Pain is felt when a signal is activated from the nervous system and then interpreted by the brain. Pain is experienced and described differently from one person to the other. It can be short- or long-term and stay in one place or spread all around the body.
What is a pain?
Pain is a signal of an injury or illness. It is the body’s way of alerting that something is wrong. This is the main purpose of pain. It is meant to make you feel uncomfortable so if you are injured or sick, you will know you need to stop or do something.
When you hurt your body, your brain usually activates the pain response. If you touch something hot, the pain you feel is your body telling you that you need to stop touching the hot item and that you should take action to cool down the skin. when you walk on an injured ankle and it hurts, that’s also your body asking you to stop.
What treatments I use?
There are five common types of pain, in some cases some pain can fit in more than one category :
- Acute pain is short in duration (from few minutes up to six months). It is usually related to a soft-tissue injury or a temporary illness. Be aware that the injury doesn’t heal correctly it can end to a chronic pain.
- Chronic pain is longer in duration and constant or intermittent. For example, headaches even if the pain isn’t always present. Chronic pain is usually due to a health condition, such as spine condition.
- Neuropathic pain is due to nerves damage. It is usually described as shooting, stabbing, or burning pain, or it feels like pins and needles. It can also affect sensitivity to touch by making someone experience difficulties in feeling hot or cold sensations. Neuropathic pain is a categorized as a chronic pain. The pain may comes and goes, and it can be so strong that it could make everyday tasks difficult and even leads to mobility issues.
What are the different types of pain ?
- Nociceptive pain is a caused by to body tissue damage. It is described as being a sharp, achy, or throbbing pain. It’s usually caused by an external injury such as when you hit your elbow or twist your ankle, This type of pain usually take place in the joints, muscles, skin, tendons, and bones. It can be both acute and chronic.
- Radicular pain is a very specific pain which occur when the spinal nerve is compressed or inflamed. It goes from the back and hip into the leg(s) using the spine and spinal nerve root. It is described as tingling, numbness, and muscle weakness. Pain that radiates from the back and into the leg is called radiculopathy. It’s also known as sciatica because the pain is due to the sciatic nerve being affected. This type of pain is often steady, and people can feel it deep in the leg. Walking, sitting, and some other activities can make sciatica worse. It is one of the most common forms of radicular pain.
