What is Pain?
Because perception and tolerance of pain vary widely from individual to individual, pain is difficult to define and describe. Essentially, pain is the way your brain interprets information about a particular sensation that your body is experiencing. Information (or "signals") about this painful sensation are sent via nerve pathways to your brain. The way in which your brain interprets these signals as "pain" can be affected by many outside factors, some of which can be controlled by special techniques.
Acute pain is of short duration, usually the result of an injury, surgery or illness. This type of pain includes:
- acute injuries
- post-operative pain
- post-trauma pain
- back and neck pain
- headaches
- complex regional pain syndrome Type 1 (reflex sympathetic dystrophy)
- neuropathic pain (nerve injury pain)
- musculoskeletal pain
- pain related to illness
Your physician may refer you to the Pain Management Center because your chronic pain condition has not responded to conventional therapies.