Types of Pain and the Treatment Options

17 Dec Types of Pain and the Treatment Options

Everyone has had a level of pain in their lifetime. However, the amount of pain will usually depend on the cause and area of pain. However, irrespective of pain being such a common human phenomenon that patients require help for, it’s easily one of the most misinterpreted and ineffectively treated conditions.

This is mostly due to the fact that people have different pain in different levels and degrees. One person’s experience with pain may not be the same as the next person’s. For that reason, this article is here to identify the different types of pain and offer some treatment options available to each.

At this point, it’s also important to note that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to pain and treatment.

Types of Pain

Pain is a broad term that describes any kind of sensation that’s neither pleasant nor comfortable in the body. It may be an acute pain that usually starts all of a sudden and only lasts for a short period of time or chronic pain does persist for longer than six months and is experienced almost every day.

Acute pain is usually caused by specific events or injuries like a fall, car crash, or similar vehicular accidents, cuts or burns, surgery, labor and childbirth, dental work, or a broken bone. However, chronic pain usually starts out as acute pain, but the pain continues long after the original eliciting factor has resolved. It’s common in arthritis, back pain, cancer, and headache. Pain that can arise after a vehicular accident includes:

●        Bone pain

This type is characterized by tenderness, aching, or discomfort in one or more bones. Bone pain is commonly associated with conditions that affect the structure or function of bone. Diseases like cancer, a fracture (broken bone), infection, leukemia, mineral deficiency, sickle cell anemia, or osteoporosis will usually cause bone pain.

●        Breakthrough pain

This is a sudden, short and sharp increase in pain that occurs in people who are already taking medications to relieve chronic pain caused by conditions such as arthritis, cancer, or fibromyalgia.

●        Nerve pain

This sharp and burning pain is caused by nerve damage or inflammation in response to an injurious stimulus.

●        Soft tissue pain

Back pain, sciatic pain, sports injuries, fibromyalgia, bursitis, and similar conditions can cause pain and discomfort when there’s an inflammation in the muscles, ligaments, and tissues.

●        Referred pain

This pain feels like it’s coming from one particular location, but is the result of an injury or inflammation in another area.

Pain management for specific types of pain

Nonopioids, bisphosphonates, nonpharmacological treatments, opioids, nutritional supplements, and surgery are some of the treatment options available for pain management. However, the specific treatment option you go with will depend on your doctor’s recommendation. Pain management doctors in Colorado Springs use some of these options to treat vehicular accident victims.

One of the most common forms of treatment mentioned above is nonpharmacological treatment. This type of treatment is simply drug-free treatment. Worthy examples include massages, mindfulness, osteopathy, physical and occupational therapy, spinal cord stimulation, multidisciplinary rehabilitation, acupuncture, chiropractic therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy amongst others.