Managing Pain

We all know what pain is. We’ve all had it. Sometimes we hardly notice it. Sometimes it’s unbearable. Usually, it goes away of its own accord. Sometimes it goes away with treatment. Rarely, it doesn’t really go away at all.

Pain is a challenge for those who have it because it hurts. It is a challenge for those who are trying to treat it because it cannot be seen and is difficult to measure scientifically.

Some pains are easy to understand if, for example, there’s obvious tissue damage such as bleeding or a bruise. Some are less obvious. You can’t see the pain of appendicitis but anyone who’s had it will tell you it’s real enough. Health professionals use different terms for different types of pain. Short-term pain like a punch on the nose is often called acute, long-term continuous pain is called chronic while pain that comes and goes is called recurrent.

Pain Management

Pain management techniques are improving all the time so thefollowing list of treatments can never be an exhaustive one. Finding the right one depends on you being clear with yourselfand others about how you feel. Ask those treating you how a particular treatment is designed to work and what evidence there is for it so that you can weigh up the potential benefits and balance them against the possible side-effects. Remember too that we’re all different and no treatment works for everyone.