Medically speaking, pain is generally an uncomfortable or unpleasant sensation in the body that often signals an illness or injury. While there are many different types of pain, we’ll only discuss the four most common types of pain here.
- Acute Pain
- Chronic Pain
- Neuropathic Pain
- Nociceptive Pain
Acute pain lasts for less than six months (i.e., minutes, hours, a few days, or months) and is often caused by a specific injury or event, such as:
- Surgery
- Broken bones
- Cuts or burns
- Dental work
- Labor and childbirth
Chronic pain is pain that has lasted for over six months and is frequently felt. It can also persist for years and ranges from mild to severe on any particular day. Chronic pain is often a result of health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, fibromyalgia, circulation problems, back pain, and headache. Without proper medication, chronic pain can affect one’s quality of life, at times even leading to depression or anxiety.
Neuropathic Pain is due to nerve damage or other parts of the nervous system. It’s usually described as stabbing, burning, shooting, or sharp pain. Other people describe it as being like an electric shock. It can also affect sensitivity to touch and cause someone to experience difficulty feeling cold or hot sensations. Common causes of neuropathic pain include:
- Cancer
- Alcoholism
- Stroke
- Limb amputation
- Chemotherapy drugs
- Radiation
- Diabetes
Nociceptive pain is pain due to damage of body tissues. People usually describe it as a throbbing, sharp, or achy pain. And it is often caused by an external injury such as hitting your elbow, falling and scrapping up your knee, twisting your ankle, or stubbing your toe. This type of pain is often felt in the bones, skin, joints, tendons, and muscles.
It’s worth noting that, pain can also be classified as somatic (localized to the skin or muscles), visceral (arising from internal organs), or a combination of both.