Pain is a universal notion which is understood as the unpleasant sensation that provides an early warning against potentially injurious stimuli found in everyday life (Morlion, Coluzzi & Kalso, 2018). Although uncomfortable, pain helps people adapt in a way that teaches them to avoid situations that could hurt them. Pain is, therefore, an interaction between sensory nerves, the brain, and the spinal cord (Sein, 2018). The peripheral nerves are what generally sense the threatening stimuli, whether it is a burn, pressure, or cut (Umphred & Lazaro, 2012). Notably, pain is both emotional and physical, incorporating other psychological aspects like memory and learning. That is why the expectancy of pain has a say in people's perception.
There are generally three types of pain, namely acute, chronic, and referred pain (Estes, 2013). Thanks to the technology of brain imaging, it has been confirmed that pain is felt distinctively by everyone, as some may be more sensitive to it than others. Acute pain is one that takes place soon or following a physical injury or invasive surgery (Morlion, Coluzzi & Kalso, 2018). It is usually a warning signal, the body's way of telling someone that something is not right. If the cause of this particular pain is ignored, it can actually develop into long lasting chronic pain.
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Chronic pain refers to a long lasting pain that is caused by unattended physical injury or the accumulation of scar tissue following invasive surgery (Sein, 2018). It can also be brought about by ongoing medical conditions. There is evidence that chronic pain may transform patterns in the brain, in the long run. On the other hand, both chronic and acute pain can be referred. This means pain that is felt in one region of the body, but is caused by an issue in a different part of the body (Umphred & Lazaro, 2012). Referred pain is often quite distressing and confusing to many clients.
Acute, chronic, and referred pain are similar in that they are unbearable. Recovery is also very slow and tends to interfere with day to day activities (Estes, 2013). The pain has an unfavorable transformation in the patient's quality of life. Contrarily, these forms of pain are distinct, for instance, acute pain is one that normally comes on suddenly and is caused by something specific (Morlion, Coluzzi & Kalso, 2018). It does not also last longer than 6 months, and goes away. Known causes of acute pain include dental work, labor and childbirth, surgery, or cuts or burns (Sein 2018). Chronic pain goes on for a long time even when the disease or injury has healed. This is usually experienced in the form of back pain, cancer, headache, and arthritis.
As already indicated, referred pain is quite unpredictable, for instance, one of the initial symptoms of a heart attack is pain in the jaws and/or teeth (Umphred & Lazaro, 2012). One may mistake this for a dental issue and may end up being treated for the wrong reason. The perception of pain in others is a significant element of pain treatment and evaluation. Compare to males, females have reported more pain and have lower pain threshold, as well as forbearance to experimental pain stimuli (Estes, 2013). Additionally, doctors and nurses tend to prescribe less pain medication to females than males.
On the other hand, age distinctions in pain perception are less regular. While some research indicates that older adults are more sensitive to experimental pain compared to young ones, others suggest a decline in sensitivity with age (Morlion, Coluzzi & Kalso, 2018). Standardized measures are needed in future to improve people's comprehension of how factors such as age and gender influence expectations of pain in other (Sein, 2018). Such actions may also enhance people's comprehension of demographic-based disparities in clinical pain management, informing future education efforts aimed at minimizing these disparities.
References
Estes, M.E.Z. (2013). Health assessment and physical examination . 5th Edition. New York: Cengage Learning.
Morlion, B., Coluzzi F., & Kalso, E. (2018). 'Pain chronification: What should a non-pain medicine specialist know?' Current Medical Research and Opinion , 34. Pp. 1 - 19.
Sein, M.T. (2018). ' Acute vs. chronic pain .' Retrieved on 11 March, 2019 from http://www.pain-health.com/conditions/chronic-pain/acute-vs-chronic-pain
Umphred, D.A., & Lazaro, R.T. (2012). Neurological rehabilitation . 6th Edition. New York: Elsevier Health Sciences.
