Everyone has been in pain at some point. It can be whining, dull, stinging, throbbing or cramping, but whatever pain it is "pain is not pleasant." The development of pain can be different. It can come as a result of damage, but also through inflammation, pinching, burns, overloads or hypersensitivity of the nerves.

Pain can be experienced from nerve endings connected to the spinal cord. These nerve endings are spread all over the body, making up the nervous system. These nerve endings send signals to the brain via the nervous system. The pain you feel originates in the brain. This allows you to feel, move and experience pain. The nervous system also has switching systems. This has the function of amplifying, reducing or blocking signals.

Take as an example when you touch a hot pan. You feel this and without thinking you immediately pull your hand away. This is partly due to the switching systems.
                                                                                     

The cause of pain can be divided into 2 groups: nociceptive pain and neuropathic pain.

We speak of nociceptive pain when the pain is caused by tissue damage. For example when you cut your finger. This causes the body to release inflammatory substances that stimulate the pain nerve cells. These then transmit the pain signal to the brain via the nerves and spinal cord. Because the pain can be easily localized, it is often easy to treat.

We speak of neuropathic pain when there is nerve damage. Take again as an example when you cut your finger. Only this time you hit a nerve and it is damaged. In such a case, the damaged nerve itself sends signals to the spinal cord, which are sent to the brain. In case of neuropathic pain, electric shocks can also be given, which can cause sudden shoots of pain. On the contrary to nociceptive pain, the cause of neuropathic pain is less easy to find, making the correct treatment method more difficult.

Pain can greatly affect the quality of life. When someone is in pain; moving, sleeping, resting, and eating can be provocative. This can also have a psychosocial effect and make people depressed or make them feel reluctant to pursue their hobbies.

Pain severity is usually measured using a pain scale of 0-10, of which 0 is no pain and 10 is the most excruciating pain a person can experience. This can come in handy both in the short term and longer term. In the short term this is used to calculate how much pain you are currently experiencing and in the longer term to see the difference, whether there is a reduction or worsening of pain. Pain is divided into 2 groups. Acute pain and chronic pain. The next 2 videos will explain what acute pain and chronic pain are.

                                                                                       
What is Acute Pain?
Acute pain is pain that comes on suddenly and usually has an obvious cause. Acute pain is also called nociceptive pain. The nerve endings or nociceptors send signals to the brain that there is damage, so pain must occur. Take as an example going through your ankle, burning your finger or going through your back, as well as surgery or infections. So often there is damage involved. Pain is there for a good reason. Pain is often a warning to prevent more damage until the problem is resolved. It is characteristic of acute pain that the pain subsides as healing progresses. If not, acute pain can progress to chronic pain.

                                                                                      
What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is a complex pain that often lasts for more than 3 months. Characteristic of chronic pain is that there is no damage, but there is pain. So the nociceptors are still active and send out signals. This pain actually no longer has a real function. Physical examinations often do not find a cause for the pain. The pain often manifests itself in a dull or nagging pain. Chronic pain has many consequences for the quality of life. Due to the constant pain, people want to go outside less and quit their hobbies. These can lead to other complaints such as fear of movement or depression. And these in turn aggravate complaints, making the entire process longer.

Acute pain vs chronic pain
As you have now heard, there is a difference between acute and chronic pain. Acute, which usually has a clear cause, often involves damage, and which lasts almost shorter than chronic pain. And chronic pain, which is usually a pain that has no clear cause, and often a dull or nagging pain. Chronic pain also has a greater impact on quality of life. With an increased risk of movement anxiety and depression.

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Kind regards,

Sascha Bargi BSc. Pt. & MSc. Ost. in training