Pain

Pain is among the most important signals our body gives to help us survive. It can alert us to harmful changes in the body, like cancer, or help us learn to avoid something harmful, like touching a hot stove. In this way, some forms of pain keep us safe. However, pain can also adversely affect a person’s mood, relationships, movement, and all aspects of daily life. Pain can make it harder to perform necessary tasks, do work, and enjoy activities. Pain is a subjective experience, meaning that only the person experiencing the pain can describe how much pain they feel and how it impacts their life.

There are two classes of pain: acute and chronic. Acute pain comes on quickly and can be severe, but it lasts a relatively short time. Acute pain is typically experienced after an injury or trauma, and usually self-resolves. Unlike acute pain, chronic pain lasts for a long time and doesn’t seem to get better or go away. It is often a debilitating symptom of many diseases, and it is a frequent component of many neurological disorders. When it persists beyond recovery from an injury or illness, chronic pain is considered a disease itself.

If you are suffering from pain, learning more about your diagnosis and the causes of pain can help treat the symptoms. Please explore the menu to the left to learn more about treatment and care options for various types of pain.