Pain is that nasty four-letter word that no one wants to experience, but it’s inevitably going to be a part of life in one way or another. Pain is defined as the unpleasant sensory and/or emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. In the ideal situation, after the body experiences a pain trigger, it has the capability to process, heal and recover. However, for some people this system doesn’t provide full restoration. Understanding why chronic pain occurs starts with understanding the mechanisms for pain.
Nociceptive pain is the result of mechanical stimulus. An obvious example of this would be if you cut your finger with a knife…ouch! Another less obvious example would be the chronic grind of an arthritic joint. Inflammatory pain is what most people take ibuprofen for and can be the result of a sterile or infectious cause. That same finger you cut results in an immune response with clotting, swelling and redness. Ultimately, the body is sending out chemical signals to attract the immune system to come and clean up the mess. Neuropathic pain is when there is direct nerve damage, which can result in feelings of numbness, tingling, zinging or even complete loss of feeling. Finally, dysfunctional or centralized pain is that which happens in the absence of obvious pathology. Overstimulated microglial cells in the brain appear to be a component of this.
As you can see, pain is not simple to evaluate or treat; however, there are many considerations outside of the typical recommendations of pain medications, steroid injections, physical therapy or surgery. Neurotransmitters, endocrine hormones and immune messengers are major players in this complex system; yet the influences of these are often overlooked when treating chronic pain. If you’re ready to take the next steps to finding relief from your pain, then make sure to follow along.
Elemental Health 