About Pain
What is pain? The definition seems quite clear - the symptoms of physical hurt or disorder. But sometimes the stock definition isn't all there is when it comes to the feelings that accompanies pain. Pain is usually the first sign of something that is happening to the body, which should signal a person to seek medical attention in some form.
Pain can be anything in the part of the body - when you stubbed your toe on the bed or hit your elbow or knee hard - the sensation comes from the brain, which received a message from the nerve endings in the body part you hurt (that being either that of your elbow or knee), which then comes back to say, "we've done something stupid and hit ourselves with a blunt object. Please respond in an appropriate manner." In most cases, depending on the extreme amount of pain, the individual might let a curse or two fly.
While we are sure there is only one type of pain (that of the "ow!") variety, there are actually two technical types of pain - that of acute pain and chronic pain. Acute pain is the type of pain that is quick and then goes away. This is the type of pain when you accidentally hit yourself on a hard surface or when your stomach reminds you that you haven't had lunch yet.
Chronic pain is the type of pain that is on going, usually lasting for longer than three months. This type of pain is usually on par with that of an illness or an injury, such as cancer or pain that might last after a surgery. This type of pain can be very painful for those that have to suffering with it, usually lasting for months or ever years. Sometimes an injury can reassert itself, especially after another injury is suffered.
There are many different types of illnesses or conditions that can cause chronic pain, such as -
* Osteoarthritis
* Rheumatoid arthritis
* Low back, shoulder and neck pain
* Headache, including migraine
* Cancer pain
* Myofascial pain syndromes
* Post-thoracotomy
* Chronic regional syndromes
* Stump and phantom limb
* Neuropathic
* Shingles
* TMJ
These are only some of the conditions that could possibly cause patients chronic pain, though again, it is important for someone to notify their doctors of pain that has not gone away after a few months.
How can someone who is suffering from pain recover from it? Currently, the best way to combat pain, both that of acute and chronic, is that take medication in order to ease it. Aspirin is usually the most popular prescription when it comes to pain, covering everything from headaches, cramps, nausea, sickness, etc. It is also one of a variety of different over the counter medicines that can be purchased on the fly, that is, you don't have to call for a doctor's appointment or even visit a doctor into to get an aspirin.
Chronic pain, however, may need different medication. These are usually in the terms of pain medicines, those that are specifically prescribed to take care of a certain cause of pain, like medication for back pain or that of arthritis. These types of medications are usually prescribed by a doctor for a specific amount of time. In this case, it's important to stop taking these when the time is up, as they can some times cause an addiction to pain medication.
In terms of pain, there are two types - acute and chronic. Acute pain is the type that we suffer after hitting ourselves with something, like the door or a hammer; while chronic pain is that which carries on for more than three months. This is usually associated with an illness or condition, like cancer or arthritis. Curing pain can be as simple as taking some aspirin or visiting your doctor for a prescription.