How to determine your pain level and when it’s time to begin seeking treatment.

 

Let’s talk about the most common reason most people see a doctor—pain.

Almost everyone experiences some pain in their lives, and most of us have a different way to cope. At times, your pain may begin from the moment you awake, and other times, with changes in the weather.

Of course, there is pain after a fall, sports injuries—new and old, and repetitive movement injuries that produce intermittent nagging pain.

These are just some examples of the types of joint pains we treat daily. We classify various kinds of pains as Acute, Chronic, Inflammatory, Functional, Neuropathic, and Nociceptive.

 

Acute vs. Chronic

Acute pain is temporary is not expected to last. With acute pain, there is a known treatment. The most common examples of acute pain can stem from a simple paper cut to a broken bone. There is an available treatment for both—one may require a bandage and the other a cast or air splint.

Chronic means the pain is lasting and persistent. When the acute injury becomes more persistent in pain and has lasting physical effects, the acute injury or pain then becomes chronic.

Any injury that produces chronic pain requires a treatment plan that is beyond primary care.

Excellence in care for Jaffe Sports Medicine means that we design a treatment plan specifically for you that reaches beyond essential treatment. We have an excellent physical therapist team, technology-applied treatments, and hands-on therapy with our patient’s recovery in mind.

 

Neuropathic vs. Nociceptive

Neuropathic pain, unfortunately, is chronic most of the time because the pain is often associated with a malfunction in your nervous system. The pain is described as burning, shooting pain that is severe at times but can be controlled with medication.

We often hear from our patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, a nerve entrapment, that they experience shooting pains in the wrist, whole hand, and affected arm. This symptom is not unusual. Common reasons for neuropathic pain are herniated disc, arthritis affecting the spinal cord, spinal surgery, diabetes, amputations with phantom limb disorder, chemotherapy, and multiple sclerosis.

Nociceptive pain is the signal that pain is active.

Nociceptive are the receptors that feel pain and occur when damage or injuries to the nerves happen. The impact sends a pain message from the brain to the spinal cord. The message is then sent to the skin and muscles in the body.

Examples of nociceptive pain are arthritis, bruises, sprains, repetitive use damage. This type of pain can be acute or acute, on chronic.

 

Inflammatory Pain

Inflammation is associated with almost any type of injury, arthritis, gout, degenerative diseases, and abdominal diseases. However, inflammatory pain is sometimes associated with healing and is not the same as inflammation.

If you have ever undergone any surgery, have had a sports injury, or any injury affected the spine or joints, you have likely experienced inflammatory pain.

Inflammatory pain is the sensitivity to an affected area with soreness felt after surgery or treatment such as physical therapy. The pain felt is in direct response to the tissue damage.

This type of pain is not chronic and resolves along with healing. For best healing practices, it’s always best to comply with wearing a brace or splint, and any additional regime’s prescribed by your doctor.

 

Functional Pain

Function pain is also pain with no determined origin or apparent reason for the pain. You could consider widespread body pain, such as musculoskeletal pain or fibromyalgia, to be in the category of functional pain. There are additional medical terms associated, such as a pain scale.

Did you know that there are methods to measure your pain?

Your physician may sometimes ask from a scale from 1-10 to measure your pain, with a ten being the worst.

Your answer will help your physician to establish a baseline for your ongoing pain management treatment. This scale is referred to as a functional pain scale.

 

Find Your Pain Relief

Now that you have more information on pain, you may better understand how we treat and evaluate our patients.

If you are suffering from any pain, you can be confident that you will find relief with the help of Jaffe Sports Medicine. Our excellence in care is provided by a highly skilled staff that specializes in a range of pain management techniques. We welcome patients from Naples, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, and the surrounding areas of Florida. Contact us today to schedule your consultation.

TEXT BY M. HIATT