Pain is perhaps the most common reason why most individuals seek medical care. It possesses emotional and sensory elements and is generally categorized as acute, chronic, and referred pain (Feizerfan & Sheh, 2015). Acute pain happens immediately on or following an invasive surgery or physical harm. If unattended, it can develop into long lasting chronic pain. Chronic pain is long term and can be caused by unattended physical injuries or accumulation of scar tissue after an invasive surgery (Morlion, Coluzzi, & Kalso, 2018). Referred pain, on the other hand, is one which is felt in one region of the body but caused by an issue in a distinct part of the body.
With regards to the pathophysiology, acute pain which happens in reaction to tissue injury is an outcome of activation of peripheral pain receptors together with their particular C sensory and delta nerve fibres (nociceptors) (Feizerfan & Sheh, 2015). Chronic pain which is linked to ongoing tissue injury is likely to be caused by persistent activation of the nerve fibres (Morlion, Coluzzi & Kalso, 2018). There are a few similarities and differences between acute, chronic, and referred pain.
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For instance, acute pain happens suddenly but does not last longer than 6 months. Chronic pain is consistent and lasts longer than 6 months (Kvachadze, 2015). On the other hand, acute, chronic, and referred pain are quite debilitating and one takes a long time to recover. The types of pain also interfere with daily activities, transforming a patient's quality of life (Kvachadze, 2015). Recent studies indicate that there are gender distinctions in pain perception.
Females record more pain and tend to have a lower pain threshold compared to their male counterparts (Kvachadze, 2015). With regards to ethnicity, a normal Caucasian individual is more sensitive to pain, followed by normal Asian, Hispanic, and lastly, Black individual (Morlion, Coluzzi, & Kalso, 2018). Notably, it has been suggested that a person's anticipation of pain experience of another, is influenced by the biases the person has about different ethnicities, gender, ages, and races.
References
Feizerfan, A., & Sheh, G. (2015). 'Transition from acute to chronic pain'. Continuing Education in Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain , Volume 15, Issue 2. Pp. 98 - 102.
Kvachadze, et al. (2015). 'An overview of ethnic and gender differences in pain sensation .' Georgia Media News , 238. Pp. 102 - 108.
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.
