Journal of Pain & Relief
Open Access

Neuropathic pain, probably caused by the abnormal way that it travels along the nerves. The other is called neuropathic pain. Nociceptive pain is the most common type. It’s caused by potentially harmful stimuli being detected by nociceptors around the body. Nociceptors are a type of receptor that exists to feel all and any pain that’s likely to be caused by the body being harmed. Harm can include mechanical or physical damage to various parts of the body [1]. For example, the damaged areas could include the skin, muscles, bones, or other tissues. The nociceptors can also detect chemical and thermal damage. Chemical damage is caused by contact with toxic or hazardous chemicals. Exposure to extremely hot or cold temperatures leads to thermal damage. When activated by stimuli, nociceptors notify the brain about the injury with electrical signals sent via the peripheral and central nervous system. When the brain receives the signals, it has a perception of the pain that’s being felt. In comparison, neuropathic pain is linked with damage to the body’s neurological system. An infection or injury commonly causes this type of pain [2]. It leads to messages of pain being sent through CNS to the brain. Nociceptive pain covers most leg, arm, and back pain. They’re categorized as either radicular or somatic. Radicular pain, occurs when the nerve roots are irritated. It goes down your arm or leg through a nerve that comes from spinal cord. Radiculopathy is an example of a condition that causes radicular pain. Radiculopathy occurs when a nerve is pinched in the spine. It causes numbness, weakness, and tingling or feelings of pins and needles among other symptoms. Somatic pain happen when any of the pain receptors in your tissues, such as muscles, bone, or skin, are activated. This type of pain is often stimulated by movement. It’s usually localized.

Discussion

Headaches and cuts are both considered somatic pain. Visceral pain, happens when internal organs, such as involuntary muscles in the heart, are injured or inflamed. This type of pain is usually described as aching. The location may seem vague. Here’s more about somatic versus visceral pain, and when to see your doctor. Treatment of this type of pain depends on the seriousness of the injury. In the case of minor injuries, the pain quite often goes away as the injury heals. However, if your pain continues, you need to talk with your doctor. They’ll examine your injury and decide on an appropriate method of pain relief [3]. Your pain management is decided based on your symptoms and what caused the pain. An example of nociceptive pain that’s typically less complex is a nerve root aggravated by a bulging or ruptured disc. This sends pain radiating down your leg or arm. Sometimes the pain can be relieved by an epidural steroid injection combined with physical therapy. The outlook for your pain depends on what’s causing it. Pain caused by a bruise should go away once the bruise has healed [4]. However, pain caused by arthritis can be managed by treatments, but won’t go away completely. Intractable pain refers to a type of pain that can’t be controlled with standard medical care [5]. Intractable essentially means difficult to treat or manage. This type of pain isn’t curable, so the focus of treatment is to reduce your discomfort. The condition is also known as intractable pain disease, or IP.

Conclusion

If you have intractable pain, it’s constant and severe enough that you may need to be bedridden or hospitalized for care.

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