Photo by epSos.de

Pain refers to the unpleasant sensation that occurs in the body and is mostly caused by perceived or actual body tissue injuries. Pain produces emotional as well as physical reactions and when it is recurrent or intense, it can lower the quality of life. It is presumed that pain is responsible for the protection of a human body especially because it causes us to take an action or avoid something that might cause more harm. There are different pain degrees in our lives and in most cases; pain is the only reason many people seek out medical attention.

What Is Pain Management?

Pain management is therefore the control and the management of the unpleasant sensation using medication or any medical techniques for pain relieving results. The complexity and the simplicity of the pain management process purely depend on the actual root of the pain. There is mild pain that will require moderate or weak medication such as epidural steroid injections to alleviate and in some cases; physical therapy will do just fine. In cases where the pain does not disappear with mild treatment other options have to be employed, these include: intervention procedures, management through medication, chiropractic and physical therapy, psychological counseling combined with support, alternative therapies such as acupuncture, and referrals to other specialist in the medical field. The main reason for the involvement of all the above processes is the fact that pain can greatly affect the normal life of an individual.

What Guides Pain Management?

Pain management is executed according to the pain’s history, intensity, aggravation and relief conditions, duration, and the structures behind the pain. A structure on the body that causes pain must have access to the bodies nerve supply and be susceptible to physical injury. The concept that guides the process of pain management is that behind every pain there is a structure with a nerve supply causing it. The management’s role is to identify the source of the pain and isolate the structure for treatment and management.

Basic Types Of Pain

There are many pain types and the best way to classify them is neuropathic pain and nociceptive pain. Neuropathic pain is when the nervous system in the body is working defectively. In this case there will be no physical source of pain, but the body will send pain signals to the brain. On the other hand, nociceptive pain refers to when the nervous system is working optimally and there is a physical pain source. The system will thus send signal to the brain that there is pain and he individual will start hurting.

Treatment

In most cases, the causes of pain are minor and can be easily treated and managed through the use of common pain relievers or as commonly known, pain killers. These include cuts, pricks, minor burns, sprains, mild headaches, and a number of other small injuries. However, there are pains that require a more specialized treatment and management procedure due to their complexity; these can involve invasive methods such as surgery to relieve. Pains in this category may include but not limited to cancer related pains, migraines, breaks and fractures, pains relate to illnesses among others.