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Chronic Pain, Acute Pain and How To Treat Them

Acute Pain vs Chronic Pain

The first thing to understand about pain is the difference between acute pain and chronic pain. Acute pain is the body’s warning system. If your hand touches a hot burner on the stove, your nerves send a signal to your muscles to move your hand. Your brain interprets that message as pain. It is an effective, if uncomfortable, way for your nerves to get you to act quickly to avoid further injury. As unpleasant as it may be acute pain protects us from more sever injuries. Imagine if you left your hand on that burner until it started to burn your flesh because you didn’t have any pain sensors to tell you to move it.

The other type of pain is chronic pain and unlike acute pain, it serves no purpose other than to let you know something is wrong somewhere. But you probably already knew that. Chronic pain varies in severity and comes in many forms, the most common of which is back pain especially lower back pain, but chronic pain can also be joint pain, headaches, abdominal pain, or any number of conditions. There is no single cause of chronic pain. It can occur after an acute injury has healed, as a result of repetitive stress, and there are many other causes, or the cause may not be known. The severity and cause of chronic pain determine the treatment.

Treatment for Chronic Pain

There are three main categories of treatment for chronic pain:

surgery
medication and
non-pharmaceutical/surgical techniques.

Surgery

Surgery is not appropriate in many cases of chronic pain. Sometimes, however, there is a known cause for the pain, such as bone spurs or a loss of cartilage. In cases such as these, where the cause is known, surgery can be a effective at relieving chronic pain, but in most cases surgery is not a viable option.

Chronic Pain Medication

When surgery won’t work, a lot of people turn to pain medications, both non-prescription and prescription pain medication. For chronic pain that isn’t severe, non-prescription medication is often sufficient. There are two main kinds of over the counter pain medication:

acetaminophen and
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Acetaminophen is commonly used to treat all kinds of pain and can be very effective. Too much acetaminophen can damage your liver, so be sure to talk to your doctor if your level of pain requires you to take it on a regular basis. NSAIDs include a number of different drugs. Medications such as ibuprofen and naproxen are NSAIDs. NSAIDs build up in the blood to levels that fight inflammation as well as pain in general and can be taken on a daily basis. If you are taking other medication though, be sure to speak with your doctor before taking NSAIDs. The most common side effect of NSIADs is stomach pain, so if you have a sensitive stomach, be sure to take them with milk or food.

For some with more sever chronic pain, however, non-prescription medications are not sufficient. In these cases, doctors will sometimes prescribe pain medicine in the form of narcotics. Many of the prescription medications for chronic pain are opioids, which can be addictive so be careful and ask a lot of questions if your doctor prescribes you any of these medications. Some of the more common opioids are codeine, hydrocodone, and oxycodone.

Non-Pharmaceutical/Surgical Techniques

Many people don’t want to take medications for their chronic pain and there are other options if this is the route you want to take to manage your chronic pain. Choices range from acupuncture to physical therapy, sound therapy and herbal remedies. Some of these remedies have been around for centuries and have even shown some promising scientific results.

If you choose to use alternative medicine, it is important to remember that it is still medication and you need to let your doctor know about any treatments you are taking. This is especially important if you are taking any types of herbal remedies. These herbal remedies can interact with medications that your doctor has prescribed in unpredictable ways that can lead to unforeseen health problems.

There are many different ways to treat pain and whatever method is chosen to treat chronic pain is an intensely personal choice subject to many factors. The great thing is that we have choices; we are not forced to live a life of pain. Whether your choice is surgery, medication, or alternative medication, it is important to remember that you should speak to a doctor about your choice and discuss your options. Of course, you should always get a second opinion and even a third opinion.