No One Understands Your Chronic Pain the Way You Do
Posted on May 11, 2021
If you suffer from chronic pain symptoms, you’ve probably become something of an expert on the subject. You know about your pain; what activities cause it or make it worse, what time of night or night it happens most frequently, what not to do to increase your pain symptoms and what remedies help to relieve your discomfort.
But because pain is subjective, no one else can know your pain the way you do, and the same applies to what you would know about someone else’s suffering.
We all experience pain in different ways; each person has their own unique pain threshold. What may be considered mild discomfort for one individual may be downright unbearable or excruciating to another. Myriad factors such as age, gender, mental or emotional state can also have significant impact on how someone perceives the level of their pain.
While no one can put a definitive label on how different types of pain are experienced, what is certain is the science of how the human body recognizes and reacts to injury and discomfort.
How Pain Works
Many people believe that pain is simply the body’s way of letting your brain know that some part of you has been injured in some way. It’s true that this ‘alert system’ serves the human body by warning you that something is wrong, but there’s more to it than just that.
Here’s a brief overview of what happens when an injury to the body is interpreted as pain in the brain:
- The body sustains an injury such as a cut, bruise, burn, puncture or fracture.
- Nerve endings in the body sense the injury.
- The nerves send a signal of the injury to the central nervous system.
- The brain receives the signal and reacts with pain signals.
Of course, this is an over-simplification of the intricate process that instantly takes place in the human body when an injury and pain are present. But it does serve to explain why each individual experiences pain differently: the human body is unique to each person, so it makes sense that the way pain is received, transmitted and interpreted would also vary greatly.
The fact is, your own level of pain cannot always be considered a reliable indicator as to the presence or extent of your injury or physical condition. Certain variables may cause symptoms to be hidden; numbness in the affected injury area, for example, or a rush of adrenaline in the moment… any number of other factors can affect how much and how often a person perceives pain symptoms.
Are You Suffering from Your Own Unique Kind of Chronic Pain?
At Riverside Pain Physicians, we understand that your pain is as unique as you are. Our board-certified pain physicians are dedicated to treating each and every patient as an individual with an exclusive pain condition, and to find the best solution for reducing or eliminating your specific type of pain.
We will work with you to thoroughly address your questions and concerns, and to expertly diagnose your condition to recommend the most effective treatment plan for your symptoms.
If you are tired of living with chronic pain and want more information about options for minimizing your suffering to restore a better quality of life, call Riverside Pain Physicians today at 904.389.1010 or click here to set up an appointment online at one of our clinics.
Tags: Chronic Pain, Chronic Pain Treatment, Chronic Pain Treatment Jack