Ask the Pain Doctor

Pain

Posted: 3/11/2010

Question: 

What is Pain?

Doctor's Response:

Pain is the body's warning system, alerting you that something is wrong. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines it as an unpleasant experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage to a person's body.

Throughout the skin and other body tissues there are specialized nervous system cells (neurons) that transmit pain signals. These cells react to injury or tissue damage to signal the body to remove itself from the thing causing the pain. 

For example, when a harmful agent such as a sharp object comes in contact with your skin, chemical signals travel from neurons in the skin through nerves in the spinal cord to your brain, where they are interpreted as pain.

Generally pain is divided into two categories: acute and chronic.

• Acute pain is temporary. It can last a few seconds to up to three months. The pain subsides as healing occurs. Think of acute pain as things such as burns, cuts, bruises, and fractures.
• Chronic pain is simply defined as pain lasting longer than three months. Chronic pain ranges from mild to severe and can last a lifetime. Common perceptions of chronic pain are seen in patients with fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. However, there are many chronic pain conditions that doctors and patients work toward making more tolerable.

Remember, doctors try to make your pain more tolerable. In most cases they cannot alleviate pain completely. Their goal is to find a balance between quality of life and function. They share your goal of returning you to a more acceptable level of function without going through life so controlled by pharmaceuticals that you cannot function.