Pain

Pain is a very complicated symptom.  

It can be felt as physical, spiritual, psychological and emotional pain.  These different types of pain can all affect and interact with each other. 

This recognition of all the different components of pain is usually referred to as total pain. 

Our experts have vast amounts of experience managing pain and the impact it can have on your life.  We are online now waiting to hear from you.

Physical pain can be described as acute or chronic. 

Acute pain is usually short term following an injury or accident whereas chronic pain is felt day after day, month after month and though it can be helped it is typically difficult to cure.

Physical pain can be described as,

Acute pain forms part of the bodies defence mechanism and is very important. This response keeps us safe by moving us away from danger quickly, for example if you accidentally put your hand into very hot water you need to remove it quickly to prevent burning!! 

This response promotes learning, the next time you see water you will probably check how hot it is before plunging your hand in to prevent burning your hand again.  

Acute pain can also help to protect from further injury.  A sprained ankle can be painful and so discourages you from walking on it; this will help to protect the ankle from further damage whilst it heals.
 
Failure to treat acute pain effectively may result in it becoming chronic pain.

Chronic pain is pain that is felt most days for at least three months.  Chronic pain is associated with many long-term conditions and more common in older people. 

The causes of chronic pain are sometimes easy to identify, for example pain felt from an arthritic joint and sometimes it is impossible to find a cause for chronic pain. 

It is difficult to see how chronic pain can help the body as a defence mechanism as the pain felt can sometimes be totally out of proportion to the underlying condition.  Don’t suffer on your own, please tell us how you are feeling and see if we can help.

Pain intensity can vary from mild to agonising and varies hugely between people.

Some pains are described according to the area of the body they affect, for example toothache, tummy/stomach ache, and shoulder or knee pain.

Back pain is very common and is the most frequent cause of absence from work in the UK.  Many people will experience back pain and then go on to make a very good recovery. 

Pain due to nerve irritation such as sciatica can be felt away from the source of the problem that is usually in the back. 

It is common for people with sciatica to present with thigh, leg or even foot pain although the irritation to the nerve is in the back, this is called referred pain.

Physical problems caused by pain   

Being in pain at night can lead to a lack of sleep and therefore tiredness and fatigue during the day. 

Pain can limit activities of daily living and stop you doing things that are important; this can impact on your work and your home life and hobbies.  

Pain can affect your immune system and make it easier to pick up infections.

The physical problems of tiredness and fatigue can lead withdrawal from activities in an attempt to try and rest and this over time can lead to isolation. 

Not being able to function effectively can cause anxiety, stress and depression all of which can make the pain feel worse.

Management of pain

Treatment of acute pain is usually straight forward and can usually be controlled by painkillers.

Chronic pain that becomes an illness in itself can be extremely difficult to manage because of the complexity. 

If the pain is made up of physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual components all of these will need to be addressed to effectively control the overall pain. 

This type of pain can be managed and the impact it has on your life can be reduced.

Spiritual Pain

Loss, grief, fear, isolation or suffering may lead people to ask the question 'why is this happening to me?'

They may search for meaning to their life and question the value of life itself.  Some people will look to or revisit a religion to find these answers while others prefer a philosophical exploration to find their answers. 

Unresolved issues surrounding a persons religious or spiritual beliefs and practices can be felt as spiritual pain.

Emotional Pain

This pain is the feeling of heartbreak following a loss of some kind.  

Do you need help managing pain?  We are experts in managing pain, get in touch today.

Updated: 15th September 2009