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Types of Pain

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Types of Pain

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Created OnSeptember 19, 2019
byPHS Team

Types of Pain

The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines pain as, “…an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience as a result of actual or potential tissue damage.”

Pain is both a physical and emotional experience.

Pain is 100% a response from the brain. Your brain concludes that the body tissue is in danger, or threatened, and action is required. Pain putsyour system on red alert.

Types of Pain:

  1. Acute and Subacute Pain:
  • This type of pain has a known cause. It is useful and protective.
  • It goes away in a reasonable length of time, definitely within a few months.
  • It is directly related to an injury in the tissues.
  • It is a warning system in our body which tells us to take care of the problem with medication, rest, or other appropriate measures.
  • Good examples of an acute problem are an ankle sprain, a lifting injury at work, or cuts, scrapes and bruises.
  1. Acute, Recurrent Pain:
  • Has the same characteristics as acute pain but has recurrent flare-ups.
  • This is caused by recurrent issues in the tissue because of a specific condition.
  • An example of acute, recurrent pain condition is rheumatoid arthritis.
  1. Chronic or Persistent Pain:
  • This pain lasts for longer than three months, and the body is unable to return to its normal physiological function.
  • It does not respond to treatment like acute pain.
  • It no longer serves a useful purpose and it persists beyond the expected time for normal tissue healing.
  • The intensity of the pain is related to the brain’s perception of the problem. There is often minimal problems in the tissue.
  • The tissues are often unhealthy but are no longer damaged.
  • Tissues may have healed in a tight and weak state, which causes abnormal sensations to be registered in the brain.
  • The brain interprets these sensations as problematic, and produces a pain reaction to protect the tissues.
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