What is pain?

Pain is a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder.  Pain hurts.  While some of us suffer from “emotional pain,” this topic has to do with physical pain.

In medicine, pain relates to a sensation that hurts. If you feel pain it hurts, you feel discomfort, distress and perhaps agony, depending on the severity of it. Pain can be steady and constant, in which case it may be an ache. It might be a throbbing pain – a pulsating pain. The pain could have a pinching sensation, or a stabbing one.

Only the person who is experiencing the pain can describe it properly. Pain is a very individual experience.

Acute pain – this can be intense and short-lived, in which case it is called acute pain. Acute pain may be an indication of an injury. When the injury heals the pain usually goes away.

Chronic pain – this sensation lasts much longer than acute pain. Chronic pain can be mild or intense (severe).

For a definition of different types of pain we like Medical News Today/Articles. It classifies pain such as nociceptive pain, somatic pain, visceral pain, etc.

How do you measure pain?

While there are various ways to rate pain a simple approach is a numerical rating scale.  Zero would mean no pain, 1 t0 4 would be minimal pain, 7 to 9 would be intense, and 10 would be the worst pain imaginable.

When to see a doctor?
If the pain is intense, or chronic, get medical help.  If you do need to see a doctor, an explanation of how the pain feels will be a big help.  Here are some possibilities:

Below are 20 groups of words.  Those groupings should be taken to your doctor. They will help describe both the quality and intensity of your pain in order to better help your doctor help you.

Group 1 – Flickering, Pulsing, Quivering, Throbbing, Beating, Pounding
Group 2 – Jumping, Flashing, Shooting
Group 3 – Pricking, Boring, Drilling, Stabbing
Group 4 – Sharp, Gritting, Lacerating
Group 5 – Pinching, Pressing, Gnawing, Cramping, Crushing
Group 6 – Tugging, Pulling, Wrenching
Group 7 – Hot, Burning, Scalding, Searing
Group 8 – Tingling, Itching, Smarting, Stinging
Group 9 – Dull, Sore, Hurting, Aching, Heavy
Group 10 – Tender, Taunt, Rasping, Splitting
Group 11 – Tiring, Exhausting
Group 12 – Sickening, Suffocating
Group 13 – Fearful, Frightful, Terrifying
Group 14 – Punishing, Grueling, Cruel, Vicious, Killing
Group 15 – Wretched, Binding
Group 16 – Annoying, Troublesome, Miserable, Intense, Unbearable
Group 17 – Spreading, Radiating, Penetrating, Piercing
Group 18 – Tight, Numb, Squeezing, Drawing, Tearing
Group 19 – Cool, Cold, Freezing
Group 20 – Nagging, Nauseating, Agonizing, Dreadful, Torturing

What causes pain?
It could have to do with a physical injury such as a sore knee caused by overdoing exercise, or it could be a simple infection such as a sore throat, or it could be a serious disease such as arthritis due to the wearing away of bone.

There are many potential causes.  The web site Mental Help.net has an interesting list.  Janssen-Cilag and Web MD are other useful resources.  If you do an internet search for “pain” you’ll find a lot of information on causes.

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