Medical dictionary. Pain Definition. Pain is an unpleasant feeling that is conveyed to the brain by sensory neurons. The discomfort signals actual or potential injury to the body. However, pain is more than a sensation, or the physical awareness of pain it also includes perception, the subjective interpretation of the discomfort. How to use inhaled glutathione and hydrogen peroxide, colloidal silver in a nebulizer to heal asthma, pneumonia, lung inflammation and emphysema. Management of spontaneous pneumothorax British Thoracic Society pleural disease guideline 2010. Learn about Entocort EC Budesonide may treat, uses, dosage, side effects, drug interactions, warnings, patient labeling, reviews, and related medications. Get the latest information and expert advice about living with HSV1 or HSV2, including stories from people living with the condition. Streptococcus_pneumonia.jpg' alt='Pneumonia Patch In Chest' title='Pneumonia Patch In Chest' />Perception gives information on the pains location, intensity, and something about its nature. The various conscious and unconscious responses to both sensation and perception, including the emotional response, add further definition to the overall concept of pain. Description. Pain arises from any number of situations. Injury is a major cause, but pain may also arise from an illness. It may accompany a psychological condition, such as depression, or may even occur in the absence of a recognizable trigger. Acute pain. Acute pain often results from tissue damage, such as a skin burn or broken bone. Acute pain can also be associated with headaches or muscle cramps. This type of pain usually goes away as the injury heals or the cause of the pain stimulus is removed. Vector Thumbs Up. To understand acute pain, it is necessary to understand the nerves that support it. A newly released image shows comedian Kevin Hart resting his head on a womans chest and clutching her thigh in a steamy video at the centre of an FBI extortion probe. Nerve cells, or neurons, perform many functions in the body. Although their general purpose, providing an interface between the brain and the body, remains constant, their capabilities vary widely. Certain types of neurons are capable of transmitting a pain signal to the brain. As a group, these pain sensing neurons are called nociceptors, and virtually every surface and organ of the body is wired with them. The central part of these cells is located in the spine, and they send threadlike projections to every part of the body. Nociceptors are classified according to the stimulus that prompts them to transmit a pain signal. Thermoreceptive nociceptors are stimulated by temperatures that are potentially tissue damaging. Mechanoreceptive nociceptors respond to a pressure stimulus that may cause injury. Polymodal nociceptors are the most sensitive and can respond to temperature and pressure. Polymodal nociceptors also respond to chemicals released by the cells in the area from which the pain originates. Nerve cell endings, or receptors, are at the front end of pain sensation. Pneumonia Patch In Chest' title='Pneumonia Patch In Chest' />A stimulus at this part of the nociceptor unleashes a cascade of neurotransmitters chemicals that transmit information within the nervous system in the spine. Each neurotransmitter has a purpose. For example, substance P relays the pain message to nerves leading to the spinal cord and brain. These neurotransmitters may also stimulate nerves leading back to the site of the injury. This response prompts cells in the injured area to release chemicals that not only trigger an immune response, but also influence the intensity and duration of the pain. Chronic and abnormal pain. Chronic pain refers to pain that persists after an injury heals, cancer pain, pain related to a persistent or degenerative disease, and long term pain from an unidentifiable cause. It is estimated that one in three people in the United States will experience chronic pain at some point in their lives. Of these people, approximately 5. Chronic pain may be caused by the bodys response to acute pain. In the presence of continued stimulation of nociceptors, changes occur within the nervous system. Changes at the molecular level are dramatic and may include alterations in genetic transcription of neurotransmitters and receptors. These changes may also occur in the absence of an identifiable cause one of the frustrating aspects of chronic pain is that the stimulus may be unknown. For example, the stimulus cannot be identified in as many as 8. Scientists have long recognized a relationship between depression and chronic pain. In 2. 00. 4, a survey of California adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder revealed that more than one half of them also suffered from chronic pain. Other types of abnormal pain include allodynia, hyperalgesia, and phantom limb pain. These types of pain often arise from some damage to the nervous system neuropathic. Art Dabbler 2.1 Update. Allodynia refers to a feeling of pain in response to a normally harmless stimulus. For example, some individuals who have suffered nerve damage as a result of viral infection experience unbearable pain from just the light weight of their clothing. Hyperalgesia is somewhat related to allodynia in that the response to a painful stimulus is extreme. In this case, a mild pain stimulus, such as a pin prick, causes a maximum pain response. Phantom limb pain occurs after a limb is amputated although an individual may be missing the limb, the nervous system continues to perceive pain originating from the area. Causes and symptoms. Pain is the most common symptom of injury and disease, and descriptions can range in intensity from a mere ache to unbearable agony. Nociceptors have the ability to convey information to the brain that indicates the location, nature, and intensity of the pain. For example, stepping on a nail sends an information packed message to the brain the foot has experienced a puncture wound that hurts a lot. Pain perception also varies depending on the location of the pain. The kinds of stimuli that cause a pain response on the skin include pricking, cutting, crushing, burning, and freezing. These same stimuli would not generate much of a response in the intestine. Intestinal pain arises from stimuli such as swelling, inflammation, and distension. Diagnosis. Pain is considered in view of other symptoms and individual experiences. An observable injury, such as a broken bone, may be a clear indicator of the type of pain a person is suffering. Determining the specific cause of internal pain is more difficult. Other symptoms, such as fever or nausea, help narrow down the possibilities. In some cases, such as lower back pain, a specific cause may not be identifiable. Diagnosis of the disease causing a specific pain is further complicated by the fact that pain can be referred to felt at a skin site that does not seem to be connected to the site of the pains origin. For example, pain arising from fluid accumulating at the base of the lung may be referred to the shoulder. Since pain is a subjective experience, it may be very difficult to communicate its exact quality and intensity to other people. There are no diagnostic tests that can determine the quality or intensity of an individuals pain. Therefore, a medical examination will include a lot of questions about where the pain is located, its intensity, and its nature. Questions are also directed at what kinds of things increase or relieve the pain, how long it has lasted, and whether there are any variations in it. An individual may be asked to use a pain scale to describe the pain. One such scale assigns a number to the pain intensity for example, 0 may indicate no pain, and 1. Scales are modified for infants and children to accommodate their level of comprehension. Treatment. There are many drugs aimed at preventing or treating pain. Nonopioid analgesics, narcotic analgesics, anticonvulsant drugs, and tricyclic antidepressants work by blocking the production, release, or uptake of neurotransmitters. Drugs from different classes may be combined to handle certain types of pain. Nonopioid analgesics include common over the counter medications such as aspirin, acetaminophen Tylenol, and ibuprofen Advil. These are most often used for minor pain, but there are some prescription strength medications in this class.