Dealing with a chronic pain condition can feel like a mysterious frustration. Being on the front end of symptoms takes over your entire focus and can make it difficult to determine the actual cause of the pain. There are actually only a few common types of pain, and while these can be triggered by a multitude of issues, it can help us better understand our bodies on how they react to certain stresses. Let’s take a look at the two most common forms of pain, how they are triggered and what kinds of conditions are commonly associated with chronic aches and pains.
Acute & Chronic
Acute pain and chronic pain are the two most common forms of pain experienced in our bodies. Acute pain happens quickly, and dissipates when there is no cause. If the acute pain is caused by injury, it will last until the trauma of the injury has passed and your body continues to heal. Chronic pain, however, lasts longer than six months following a triggering event or flare up. This type of pain is the most mysterious and difficult to diagnose, especially when no physical trigger or injury has occured. Pain is essentially a signal from our nervous system that something in the body is wrong and needs to be cared for. Chronic pain with no cause is extremely frustrating and harder to deal with than acute pain.
Physical Injury Trigger
Physical injuries and triggers can be a major cause for both acute and chronic pain. Acute pain associated with say, a sprained ankle, will come on fast and eventually turn into a dull ache as the injury heals. Let’s say, however, that the person sustaining the injury has an underlying condition such as arthritis. This injury could easily trigger more extreme symptoms of the condition, even if symptoms were not present before.
Physical injuries to the back, neck and shoulders can also trigger chronic pain issues. These parts of our bodies are sensitive and take on a lot of stress throughout the day by holding our whole body up. Straining the muscles and bones in the neck and back can cause chronic pain for months or even years after a triggering event. When you do proper exercise such as Iron-Neck it would give you ideas on how to prevent those from happening.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis because it is caused by overuse of the joints throughout a lifetime. People who have a family history of arthritis, osteoporosis, or other musculoskeletal conditions will have a higher risk of developing this condition, but it can happen to anyone who overuses their joints without taking proper precautions and care in between tough jobs or demanding activities. In this case, many instances of acute pain events can lead to the development of osteoarthritis in any healthy individual.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a condition that is thought to affect the pain receptors in the brain and amplify the pain signals in our body. Fibromyalgia can occur in healthy individuals with no prior symptoms and can be triggered by a specific event or slowly take hold over time. Those with no chronic pain symptoms can develop fibromyalgia in their lifetimes based on certain risk factors. These include age, gender (women are at higher risk than men), genetics and medical history. What’s even more interesting about this condition is that it appears to be triggered, in some cases, by extreme physical and psychological stress.
Treatment
Treating chronic pain conditions can be tricky and frustrating. Typical oral pain relievers don’t always work for these types of pain, and even when they do our bodies build up a tolerance. Not to mention that these medications affect our entire body rather than the area that is actually in pain. Hempvana.com has a number of different topical pain relief solutions made for exactly these kinds of chronic pain symptoms and conditions. When treating your chronic pain issue, you’ll want to make sure that you take all avenues into consideration. Pain relievers will help relieve symptoms and improve your quality of life, and so will regular exercise, intentional stretching and professional medical advice.
You may be interested in a massage gun. This device has a lot of variable uses including a ball head which can help target the larger muscle groups and can help alleviate joint pain. With different heads for different massage types, this, in conjunction with exercise and eating right, can help the body with pain.
These are just a few of the most common types of pain. Other more advanced forms include neuropathic pain, nociceptive pain and radicular pain. This is why it’s important to consult a medical professional first before seeking out alternative solutions and medications to treat your pain. If it is caused by a pinched nerve vs. a chronic condition such as fibromyalgia, the way you will treat each of those conditions will be much different. Take your chronic pain and life into your own hands!
