Before I knew anything about medicine, the only time I would think of pain is when I was feeling it. I used to think that “pain is pain”, and that there was no difference between a stomachache and a headache. All I knew is that they both hurt! Once I began taking classes, I realized that there were many, many different types of pain. It is important to know these types. Better understanding of pain will help you be a better patient and will ultimately help you gain a better understanding of your own body and the signals it gives you. Here are just a few types…
The first type of pain is classified as acute. Acute comes on very quickly, can be very intense, and can depart just as quickly as it arrived. It is usually describes as “hard”, “sharp”, “stabbing” or “shooting”. Since acute pain is usually localized, which means that the sensation is usually where the injury is, it can prove to be a very useful diagnostic tool. In addition, since the pain can sometimes be very bothersome, it will motivate the person to seek relief usually immediately by way of seeing their physician or the analgesic aisle of their local drugstore. Once the pain is relieved, the person feels completely better. Some examples of acute pain are: childbirth, headache, and cyst formation.
The next type of pain is superficial or cutaneous pain. Superficial is usually felt very quickly and diminishes as time goes on. This type of pain, much like acute, is also very localized so it can point to the exact location of the injury. Superficial pain is most likely felt in the dermis, which is the skin. It manifests when a person cuts, scrapes, or experiences a not so serious burn. Once the person receives medical attention, i.e.: band-aid, bandaging, stitches, the pain will slowly disappear over time as the wound heals itself.
The third type of pain is chronic non-malignant pain. This type of pain can last for an extended amount of time and unfortunately, does not diminish over time. CNM pain can be associated with more serious illnesses (non-cancers) and therefore is pretty constant and will usually reoccur. With CMNP there is usually a need for more aggressive therapy and pain management. For example; a person with migraines may need several prescriptions as well as massage therapy or physical therapy to keep the condition under control. It is usually at this stage that a person will seek out other types of medical care; holistic therapy, acupuncture, acupressure, and reflexology to attempt to gain relief.
In addition to chronic non-malignant pain, there is chronic malignant pain. CMP is a type of pain that occurs as a by-product of a serious illness, usually cancer. This type of pain is usually non-treatable, and getting any type of relief is most uncommon.
The next type of pain is somatic pain, or deep somatic pain. This type of pain is usually felt very deeply by the patient. By this I mean in the muscle, vessels, bone, and deep lying tissues. This pain, unlike the others covered, is NON-localized. This means that it cannot be used as a diagnostic tool and also is very difficult to treat. Different types of somatic pain are; arthritis, bone pain due to prior surgery or injury, ligament, or knee pain.
Next is visceral pain. Visceral is deep, aching, cramping pain. Visceral pain can resolve itself spontaneously, be resolved with medication, or be constant and ongoing. An example of visceral pain is the cramping one feels before a person experiences a bout of diarrhea, or the pain a female feels in her abdomen with menstruation. Although it is important to mention that visceral pain is not only felt in the guts. It can be felt in any body organ. This pain is mostly described as not so severe, can be very difficult to pinpoint, and is equally as difficult to treat.
Phantom pain is a very peculiar phenomenon. This occurs when a person looses a limb, but continues to “feel” sensation and pain “in the limb”. This pain usually occurs when a person is just falling asleep or just waking up. It can also, but less frequently, occur when a person is daydreaming or not thinking about the loss of the limb. I once heard about a man who lost his left arm in a construction accident. About 6 months after the accident, once he was all healed up, he informed his doctor that every time he watched the
Sopranos, about midway through, he would get a sharp pain in the palm of his left hand. He would laugh and tell everyone that once he actually thought about the pain, and his brain had a moment to realize that he no longer had a left hand, the pain would stop. There is no exact answer as to why phantom pain occurs and it still remains mostly a mystery.
Last, but not least is referred pain. This type of pain is felt far away from the actual area of affliction. Referred pain is usually very sharp and intense at the location where occurring, and yet nothing may be felt at the location of injury. This type usually occurs when the area of affliction has no way of communicating pain to the brain. Some examples are:
1.) Pain felt in the center of the back can mean cardiac pain
2.) Pain felt at the top if the left shoulder can mean pancreatic pain
3.) Pain that radiates across the lower back can mean pain centralized in the kidneys
4.) Pain right above the navel can mean pain in the small intestines.
As long as you understand what these signals mean, you can use the pain as a diagnostic tool. Unfortunately areas where the discomfort occurs are usually very common areas and can be mistaken for other problems. For example:
1.) The pain in the center of the back can feel like soreness in the shoulder blades
2.) The pain felt at the top of the left shoulder can feel like superficial pain
3.) The pain across the lower back could feel like be soreness in lower back
4.) The pain above the navel can feel like stomach pain
If you look at the severity of the afflictions in the first set of symptoms and the lack of severity in the second set, you will be able to see exactly referred pain can confuse medical professionals, and sometimes be overlooked as nothing.
Of course there are many other different types of pain that were not covered in this article, but in order to do so would require hundreds of pages. My goal is that after reading this article; you will have a better understanding than just “Ow it hurts!” The more you understand about your own body and the processes that it undergoes the better patient you will be. It is safe to say that when it comes to YOUR medical care and treatment, there is no such thing as knowing too much. The more you know, the better questions you can ask your medical professional. Ultimately you will receive better, more thorough answers, and will be able to understand the information given a whole lot better.
Here’s to your health!
