Pain

The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage.”

It is a complicated process that involves an intricate interplay between a number of important chemicals found naturally in the brain and spinal cord. In general, these chemicals, called neurotransmitters, transmit nerve impulses from one cell to another.
Receptors on the skin trigger a series of events, beginning with an electrical impulse that travels from the skin to the spinal cord. The spinal cord acts as a sort of relay centre where the pain signal can be blocked, enhanced, or otherwise modified before it is relayed to the brain.

The most common destination in the brain for pain signals is the thalamus and from there to the cortex, the headquarters for complex thoughts. The thalamus also serves as the brain’s storage area for images of the body and plays a key role in relaying messages between the brain and various parts of the body.
Ongoing pain research continues to reveal at an unprecedented pace fascinating insights into how genetics, the immune system, and the skin contribute to pain responses.

It used to be thought that pain transmission pathways in the peripheral nerves, spinal cord and brain were hardwired circuits that simply communicated pain signals from injured or diseased parts of the body to message centres in the brain. But based on recent scientific research, there in new knowledge of how pain transmission actually works and how the conscious experience of pain is created in the brain.

There are 2 kinds of pain: 

1. acute
2. chronic

Acute pain is usually immediate and of a short duration. It is a normal response to injury, but if it is untreated it can cause significant emotional and physical disruption.

Chronic pain is pain that persists, it can represent a serious illness, and the underlying cause is not always evident. Chronic pain should not be considered a normal state.

Why do we have pain?
Pain is the body’s signal that it has been injured or that something else is wrong. If we didn’t have the ability to sense pain at the right time, we could harm or injure our bodies.

Is pain good?
Yes and no. Some pain can serve as a useful warning, alerting us to pay attention to a problem. But pain can also interfere with the body’s functioning. Severe, long-lasting pain can keep us from doing some of the things we want or need to do.

Information about pain

• 90% of all diseases may be associated with pain.
• 120 mld. USD are spent each year on, or because of pain.
• 75% or more of patients in hospitals hurt and suffer more than they should.
• Unrelieved or poorly controlled postoperative pain is associated with an increase in postoperative illness in children and adults.
• Spectrum of pain is made up of hundreds of pain syndromes or disorders.
• It is thought that pain is natural with aging. It is wrong. There is almost always a real problem behind pain.
• Women recover more quickly from pain, seek help more quickly for their pain, and are less likely to allow pain to control their lives.
• Investigators know those males and females both have strong natural pain-killing systems, but these systems operate differently.