It is possible to have pain without tissue damage or disease and it's also possible to have tissue damage without pain. Even if there is tissue damage, this doesn't always seem to match with the amount of pain someone is feeling.
Not all pain means harm.
Acute pain is the body's normal response to tissue damage or injury and needs immediate medical treatment. It heals and generally lasts less than three months. Chronic pain is an abnormal response and doesn't improve with time.
Research shows us that there is not necessarily a correlation between pain and tissue damage. This means that you can experience pain without actual tissue damage and you can have tissue damage without experiencing any pain. Pain is a protective mechanism, your body's way of sending you a warning.
Summary: Pain does not equal damage
Pain is a sensory and emotional experience, designed to protect. At the earliest onset of an injury, body systems 'wake up' to heighten messages perceived as pain. When an injury heals, body systems may continue to heighten messages resulting in continued pain.
When our pain receptors are working effectively, pain is a useful way for our bodies to tell our brains when a stimulus is a threat to our overall well-being. However, sometimes pain stops playing a protective role.
Just because you're still having pain doesn't mean you haven't “healed,” and just because your pain is gone doesn't mean your tissue is fully healed. Pain and tissue healing are not solely dependent on one another. Sadly, it's more complicated than that. Complete healing is not necessary in order to restore function.
The body does in fact have nerve endings that, in response to certain stimuli, send signals to the brain. They don't however send messages about the damage, they send messages about the “danger” of this stimulus.
It is possible to have pain without tissue damage or disease and it's also possible to have tissue damage without pain. Even if there is tissue damage, this doesn't always seem to match with the amount of pain someone is feeling.
Physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, can also raise pain tolerance and decrease pain perception. One study found that a moderate to vigorous cycling program significantly increased pain tolerance. Mental imagery refers to creating vivid images in your mind, and it can be useful for some in managing pain.
Generally speaking, pain is the body's way of telling you something isn't right. This is the purpose of pain. It is meant to make you uncomfortable so if you are injured or sick, you will know you need to do something (or stop doing something).
But unfortunately, just like pain can make you feel worse mentally, your mind can cause pain without a physical source, or make preexisting pain increase or linger. This phenomenon is called psychogenic pain, and it occurs when your pain is related to underlying psychological, emotional, or behavioral factors.
New research also has suggested that pain may follow a circadian rhythm like the body's internal 24-clock that regulates our sleep-wake cycle. "This helps explain why some people regularly have higher pain levels at certain times, such as during the night," says Slawsby.
The concept of living well while living with chronic pain can sound impossible, but you can thrive despite chronic pain. Living well with your chronic pain isn't just about managing your pain, but rather about finding ways to live a happy, fulfilled life in spite of your symptoms.
The link between pleasure and pain is deeply rooted in our biology. For a start, all pain causes the central nervous system to release endorphins – proteins which act to block pain and work in a similar way to opiates such as morphine to induce feelings of euphoria.
It Can Lead to Other Health Problems When nerve pain is ignored, it throws your entire body off. The system our body used to signal and acknowledge pain begins to break down, which can lead to other health problems. You may begin to feel more fatigued and experience weakening of your muscles.
When it intensifies to level 8, pain makes even holding a conversation extremely difficult and your physical activity is severely impaired. Pain is said to be at level 9 when it is excruciating, prevents you speaking and may even make you moan or cry out. Level 10 pain is unbearable.
Pain tolerance, is the maximum amount, or level, of pain a person can tolerate or bear. For example, when listening to a sound, the level of loudness, or pressure, at which the sound becomes painful is described as the pain threshold for that person at that time.
Pain tolerance refers to how much pain a person can reasonably handle. They still feel the sensation as painful, but the pain is tolerable. A person with a high pain tolerance can deal with more pain than a person with an average or low pain tolerance.
You should always be cautious about pain, especially if it is severe or persists afterwards because serious injuries could be a culprit, Dr. Nguyen advises. These include a stress fracture or tear, or they can be signs of other health issues. If it's something more serious, medical attention will be needed.
Avoiding pain allows healing. Persisting in painful activities causes more damage and slows healing.
But the truth is, pain is constructed entirely in the brain. This doesn't mean your pain is any less real – it's just that your brain literally creates what your body feels, and in cases of chronic pain, your brain helps perpetuate it.
"Basically, if it feels like an emergency, then it's worth getting checked out," says Dr. Long Gillespie. "If your pain seems to fluctuate, there are no other symptoms, and you can generally do your activities, it's better to be seen by your primary care provider."
This is because the sensation of pain is sometimes believed to be purely physical, and in the past, that was the general consensus of the medical world. However, through research and study, it's now realised that pain is in fact not only physical, but biological, psychological and emotional as well.
Assessing Non-Verbal Signs
Facial grimacing or a frown. Writhing or constant shifting in bed. Moaning, groaning, or whimpering. Restlessness and agitation.