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Understanding Pain and the Natural Treatment for Acute and Chronic Pain in Red Bank New Jersey Monmouth County What is Pain? Pain can be classified into Acute Pain or Chronic Pain. This classification is based upon which type of nerves are sending messages from the damaged or injured area to the brain. Initially, following any type of internal chemical or mechanical injury to any part of our bodies, specific types of nerve endings called nociceptors are stimulated. These nociceptors are sometimes called pain nerve endings and respond to damage or injury by sending very fast messages to the brain. Once the brain receives this very fast type of pain nerve signal, you perceive pain in the area of injury. Whenever a nerve signal is elicited in response to injury a signal moves from the injured site to the brain. The brain responds by making this conscious and an individual at this point perceives pain. In other words, an injury causes a nerve response that quickly sends signals to the brain informing the brain of injury and damage. The brain responds by making the injury conscious to the individual with a perception of pain at the sight of the injury. The reason for this somewhat complicated process is simple: The body is designed to immediately inform an individual whenever there is an injury. The brain sets an alarm and this alarm is designed to motivate a response to address the injury. Pain is not the Problem So, in fact, pain is not the problem. Pain is just a signal from the brain in response to an injury or damage to any part of the body. The body, in its innate wisdom, is designed to send a signal to the brain alarming the brain of injury or damage to some part of the body. The brain consequently let’s the individual know by making the perception of pain conscious. Many people make the serious mistake of thinking the pain is the problem. They take medications and pain relievers to make the pain go away and thereby override the body’s normal healthy response to injury. By overriding the body’s normal response you compromise your health and risk further injury and damage. For example, if you have back pain you feel pain in your back. The pain is not the problem. The back is the problem. There is an injury to your back. If you take pain medication you can in most cases successfully make the pain go away, at least temporarily. But did you correct the problem that caused the pain? Of course it does not. Therefore, you risk further injury because you just overrode your body’s natural response to injury. Now under medication, you will most likely move in a position that should cause pain and will cause further injury. You however will not feel it because you have taken medication and have shut down your body’s natural response to injury. The Natural Approach for the Treatment of Pain is to Treat the Injury and not the Pain The natural approach to treating pain begins initially with the proper diagnosis to know what is causing the pain. Then a program is designed to treat the cause of the pain. Once the problem is corrected, the pain will go away. The Difference between Acute Pain and Chronic Pain The difference between acute pain and chronic pain is based on the type of pain signals that are stimulated from the injured area to the brain. If the injury is new and acute, a specific type of pain signal called a Δ nerve signal is elicited and once this signal reaches the brain, the individual will have a pain perception that will most likely be sharp and/or stabbing and typically intense. Chronic pain signals from the site of injury to the brain are called C nerve signals and these nerve signals are slower and create sensations like achy, burning, and dull. The Causes of Chronic Pain Chronic pain is most commonly caused when injuries are not corrected. When an injury happens an individual often times will initially feel acute pain. If this pain is ignored it typically will become diffuse and sometimes will go away with the underlying injury still present. Over time events may occur such as moving into an incorrect position or lifting a heavy object that will aggravate the injury. In these types of instances, the pain perceived may change now to a dull or achy sensation. This is chronic pain. So, chronic pain can describe a sensation of dull or achiness that is caused from an injury that is not properly corrected over time. Chronic Pain can Occur Anywhere in the Body Chronic pain can occur from injuries anywhere in the body. And most injuries are not initially identified by individuals. Why? Often because the initial signal or alarm from the site of injury to the brain is not perceived by the individual. And over time, with additional aggravation to the area, a chronic pain situation often times presents itself. Treatment of Acute Pain and Chronic Pain at Monmouth Spine & Rehabilitation Center Monmouth Spine and Rehabilitation works to correct muscle, bone, disc and nerve conditions associated with acute and chronic pain. Acute pain is often quickly rectified at Monmouth Spine & Rehabilitation Center using a multidisciplinary approach of acupuncture, chiropractic, physical therapy and massage therapy. Chronic pain is typically a more challenging condition to treat and the licensed New Jersey practitioners at Monmouth Spine possess many years of clinical experience treating chronic pain. Contact us for a complimentary consultation with Clinical Director Dr. Thomas Dandrea, D.C. to see whether the team at Monmouth Spine & Rehabilitation Center can help. |
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