Have you ever felt a sharp ache in your hand when you touched a hot oven or a thorn on a Rose? That is pain and it is the body’s way of signaling to move away from the source because it is not safe to touch. Pain is there to inform us that there is a problem and it needs to be addressed immediately.
Our wonderful body is equipped with nerves that send signals. Our nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord with nerves going in and out of our spinal cord. When there is pain at the nerve ending, the spinal cord sends a signal to our brain and we receive a physical response in the form of pain. This all happens very rapidly.
Pain can be chronic or acute. Chronic pain is lingering pain that is ongoing and can last weeks to several months whereas acute pain is sharp and specific for a short period of time. An example of chronic pain would be sciatica which involves pain going from the low back and down the leg or a migraine that lasts for hours at a time. Acute pain examples include accidentally cutting your finger with a knife or sharp labor pains when giving birth.
In the case of acute pain most of the symptoms can be resolved in a short period of time however chronic pain must be addressed to determine if there is an underlying cause such as a herniated disk. Treatment methods include hot and cold therapy, pain medication and specific exercises or physical therapy to address the condition if warranted by a physician. Please see a doctor when suffering from chronic pain of any kind and remember that pain is there for a reason. I am also credentialed with Exercise is Medicine with the American College of Sport Medicine to work with different kinds of pain and conditions in the body. Please contact me for a free phone consultation.
