30-6-2024
Pain is a signal in your nervous system that something may be wrong. It is an unpleasant feeling, such as a prick, tingle, sting, burn, or ache.
Pain may be sharp or dull. It may come and go, or it may be constant.
You may feel pain in one area of your body, such as your back, abdomen, chest, pelvis, or you may feel pain all over.
– Acute pain
– Chronic pain
– Neuropathic pain
– Nociceptive pain
– Radicular pain
Acute pain means the pain is short in duration (relatively speaking), lasting from minutes to about three months (sometimes up to six months). Acute pain also tends to be related to a soft-tissue injury or a temporary illness, so it typically subsides after the injury heals or the illness subsides. Acute pain from an injury may evolve into chronic pain if the injury doesn’t heal correctly or if the pain signals malfunction.
Chronic pain is longer in duration. It can be constant or intermittent. For example, headaches can be considered chronic pain when they continue over many months or years – even if the pain isn’t always present. Chronic pain is often due to a health condition, like arthritis, fibromyalgia, or a spine condition.
Neuropathic pain is due to nerve damage. It may feel like a stabbing sensation, burning, shooting pain, or sharp pain. It can cause difficult feeling sensations such as hot, cold, and touch.
Neuropathic pain can be a result of cancer, alcoholism, stroke, limb amputation, chemotherapy, radiation, or diabetes
Nociceptive pain is a result of tissue damage. It can be described as a throbbing, sharp, or achy pain. This pain is caused by external injuries such as falling, bumping into things, or being hit.
Nociceptive pain can be felt in the skin, tendons, muscles, joints, and bones. It can be treated with antidepressants, opioids, over the counter (OTC) medicine, or physical therapy.
Acute pain:
A sudden sensation that alerts us to possible injury. Pain is momentary underlying cause cures in time
Pain that persists often for months or even longer. Pain persists longer. May impact daily life.
Chronic pain: