Pain Definitions
Understanding the different types of pain may help you to talk openly and directly with your doctor about your pain. The more you know about pain, the more you can do to find successful pain management treatment. Here is a list of pain terms that will help you better understand your condition and take action in your pain management treatment plan.
Talk to your healthcare professional if you are having pain. Depending on the pain, some may need to see a pain specialist or have their doctor consult with a pain specialist to develop a pain management treatment plan. Pain specialists may be oncologists, anesthesiologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, other doctors, nurses, or pharmacists. A pain management team may also include psychologists and social workers.
Acute Pain - occurs suddenly due to illness, injury or surgery. It has a short duration that subsides when the injured tissue heals.
Chronic Pain - is pain that persists for long periods of time (usually >3 months). Failure to treat acute pain promptly and appropriately at the time of injury, during initial medical and surgical care, and at the time of transition to community-based care, contributes to the development of chronic pain syndromes. In chronic pain, pain signals may remain active in the nervous system for weeks, months or even years. Chronic pain has no value or benefit; it is a disease of the nervous system.
Types of Chronic Pain:
Intermittent Pain - episodic and may occur in waves or patterns.
Persistent Pain - lasts 12 or more hours every day for more than three months.
Other Pain Terms:
Breakthrough Pain - intermittent worsening of pain that occurs spontaneously or in relation to a specific activity. The pain increases above the level of pain being treated with ongoing analgesics (pain medications).
Pain Flares - short-term increases in one's usual level of pain. This pain suddenly erupts or emerges with or without an aggravating event or activity.
Nociceptive Pain - caused by an injury that stimulates pain receptors. Pain receptors, located on the tips of nerve cells, recognize and react to an unpleasant stimulus (pressure, extreme temperatures [hot or cold], irritating substances released by other cells) and send pain signals through the nervous system for recognition and response to an injury or the risk for injury. This type of pain may be accompanied by inflammation. Infections, burns, cuts, a severe lack of oxygen in the blood, and stretching of or pressure within an organ, can injure tissues and cause nociceptive pain.
Types of Nociceptive Pain:
Somatic Pain - caused by injury to skin, muscles, bone, joint, and connective tissues. Deep somatic pain is usually described as dull or aching, and localized in one area. Somatic pain from injury to the skin or the tissues just below it often is sharper and may have a burning or pricking quality.
Visceral Pain - originates from ongoing injury to the internal organs or the tissues that support them. When the injured tissue is a hollow structure, like the intestine or the gall bladder, the pain often is poorly localized and feels like cramping. When the injured structure is not a hollow organ, the pain may be pressure-like, deep, and stabbing.
Neuropathic Pain - results from damage to or dysfunction of the peripheral or central nervous system, rather than stimulation of pain receptors (like in the case of somatic and visceral pain). Some patients who get neuropathic pain describe it as bizarre, unfamiliar pain, which may be burning or like electricity. The pain may be associated with sensitivity of the skin. Neuropathic pain can also result from chemical damage to the nervous system that may be caused by some treatments (chemotherapy, radiation, surgery).
Cancer Pain - Results from the treatment for cancer or from the cancer itself. Cancer pain depends upon the type of cancer, the stage (extent) of the disease, and the pain threshold (tolerance for pain) of the person with cancer. Most of the pain comes when a tumor presses on bones, nerves, or body organs. But it can also be caused by the treatment or the tests done to diagnose cancer. Some may also have pain that has nothing to do with the illness or treatment. For more information on cancer pain, visit the American Cancer Society.
For other valuable resources for pain management, see our free pain journal and other pain assessment tools such as the Let's Talk Pain show.
