Pain can be felt in any part of the body; it can present itself as a throbbing, pulsating or pinching ache. Cause of pain varies greatly depending on the affected area. Headache, for instance, can be caused by recurring migraine or stress. The discomfort that it brings is what drives people to seek treatment. But of course, before a doctor prescribed any medication to alleviate it, it is critical that he/she have a clear diagnosis of what’s causing it. Different medical treatments are used to treat pain depending on the underlying cause. Therefore, a thorough lab work up and physical examination is required to ascertain that the doctor would be able to not only alleviate the pain but also get to the root cause of the problem. If the cause of the problem is not properly treated, it is likely that the pain will recur over and over again.

Why Do We Feel Pain?

Pain, in essence, is a spectrum of body sensations that involve the nerve and the brain. It varies in intensity and level. If you feel pain in any part of your body, never ignore it. Pain is your body’s way of telling your brain that something is wrong. Any type of pain, may it be felt in the head, joint or muscle, will require immediate medical attention so that the underlying cause can be promptly diagnosed.

Pain can be sporadic, periodic, acute or chronic. As mentioned earlier, it can present itself in any part of the body where nerves are present. Pain management must focus not only in treating the symptom but also on mitigating the source of the problem. However, due to the influx of pain medications in the market that can now be easily purchased over the counter, most people end up alleviating the pain but not entirely treating its underlying cause. Keep in mind that there are a number of reasons why you are feeling pain. It can range from trauma, sprain, fracture, kidney stones, improper posture, slipped disk, or even improper posture.

Causes of Body Pains

There are a number of medical conditions with pain as their common symptom. This includes the following:

Episodic and general pain can be caused by one of the conditions mentioned below:

• Pernicious anemia
• Hypochondria
• Diabetes
• Sickle cell disease
• Polymyalagia
• Syphilis

Neuropathic pain, though, usually have no obvious cause is often triggered by:

• Spine injury
• Shingles
• Amputation
• Back, hip or leg problem
• Facial nerve problem
• HIV infection or AIDS
• Multiple sclerosis

Other causes of pain may include but not limited to the following:

• Rectal abscess
• Anal fissure
• Rectal trauma/injury
• Colon infection
• Crohn’s disease
• Hemorrhoids
• Inflammatory bowel disease

Types and Classification of Pain

Generally speaking, there are two types of pain: acute and chronic. Acute pain is short lived but intense. It can be an indication of an injury, in which case the pain usually goes away after some time. Chronic pain, on the other hand, last much longer and often persistent. Intensity of chronic pain may vary from mild to intense.

Aside from having two general types, pain can also be classified as nociceptive or non-nociceptive. Nociceptive pain is stimulated by specific pain receptors. It can be triggered by temperature (hot or cold), vibration, or chemicals (released by damaged cells). Under nociceptive pain, there are two sub-types: somatic and visceral pain.

Somatic pain is usually felt on the bones, ligaments, joints and skin. This kind of pain is normally sharp and localized (confined in a specific part of the body). When the affected area is moved or touched, pain may intensify. You should understand that the body’s pain receptors are sensitive to inflammation, vibration and temperature. Meanwhile, visceral pain is normally felt in the body cavities and internal organs. This kind of pain is usually felt as a deep, vague ache. Cramping and colicky sensations are some types of visceral pain.

For non-nociceptive pain, two sub-types also exist: sympathetic and neuropathic pain. Sympathetic pain is typically felt following a soft tissue injury or fracture (of the limbs). When you say non-nocicpetive, it simply means that there are no specific pain receptors involved. Sympathetic pain manifests itself when the nerve is injured. When this happens, the damaged nerve becomes unstable and chaotic, thus triggering it to fire off abnormal and random signals to the brain. These chaotic and abnormal signals are then interpreted as PAIN. Sympathetic pain can become so intense that sufferers choose not to move or touch the affected area. Neuropathic or nerve pain, on the other hand, may originate from nerves in the peripheral or central nervous system. It can be caused by nerve infection, nerve damage, oxygen starvation, or nerve degeneration.

Medical Pain Management

Treatment for pain will vary depending on what’s really causing it. Usually, when the underlying cause has been effectively treated, the pain can be significantly reduced or completely eliminated. For instance, if pain is caused by an infection, then treating it with antibiotics will typically get rid of the pain as well. However, there are circumstances that even if the cause has been effectively treated, analgesics might still be needed to manage pain. Analgesics are known to be effective in alleviating nociceptive pain, with the exception of nerve pain. Medical management for pain may include the following:

Opioid Analgesics: This is the strongest type of painkillers available today. They are commonly used to mitigate pain caused broken bones, burns, surgery and many others. Opioid analgesics are often prescribed in gradually increasing doses. The dosage is decreased as the intensity of pain drops. Since opioids are addictive, patients taking them must be closely monitored.

Nonopioid Analgesics: This type of pain reliever is usually prescribed to patients experiencing mild to moderate pain. Unlike opioid analgesics, they are non-addictive and their effects do not dwindle as time goes by.

NSAID: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be purchased over the counter or through a doctor’s prescription. Low-dosage NSAIDs are effective in treating headaches, fever, minor pains, and muscle aches. High-dosage NSAIDS, meanwhile, are perfect for treating joint inflammation.

Alternative Treatments For Pain

Since most medicines and drugs used to treat pain have side effects, many people are now turning to alternative medicine. Alternative therapies are deemed to be safer and more effective. Some of the alternative treatments that you can help alleviate pain include the following:
Acupuncture: This treatment is known to be really effective for pain relief. In acupuncture, it is believed that pain is decreased by increasing the release of body chemicals that help block pain receptors, called as the endorphins. Acupuncture is a great accompanying therapy for many pain-related conditions like menstrual cramps, myofascial pain, low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, headache and fibromyalgia. It can be used as an independent treatment to mitigate pain or it can be a part of comprehensive pain management program.

Chiropractic Manipulation: This type of holistic treatment is used by people suffering pain in the musculoskeletal region. It is mostly used to manage chronic back and neck pains. However, like most alternative treatments, there is still no sufficient data supporting its effectiveness for pain management. Further studies are required to determine its efficacy. However, chiropractic manipulations show great promise in managing and relieving back pain.

Before you indulge yourself in any of the said pain treatments, it is highly advised that you consult a doctor to ascertain that you will be prescribed with a treatment appropriate for the particular type of pain that you are experiencing.