All About Pain

Pain

When Does Pain Require Medical Treatment?

Pain is an unpleasant sensation which is our body's method to warn us of potential or actual damage to it. It is designed to make us stop what we are doing which might be causing the pain and to investigate and fix it. Our reaction to pain may be as simple as pulling our hand out of a fire because it burns, or as complicated as worrying and suffering with a stomach ache for several days because we do not know whether it is just the flu and will pass in time or whether it is gall stones or appendicitis, which we hope it is not, because both might require urgent surgery. In either case, acute pain warns us to take care of ourselves, and if it persists, the cause of the pain must be found and treated to prevent further tissue damage or even death. Chronic pain, however, usually does not serve a useful purpose, is not "normal," and can be very debilitating.

Pain may be either acute or chronic, and may come from either skin, muscles, or bones, or directly from nerves which innervate them. Most pain caused by injuries is pretty obvious and usually can be treated most effectively by treating the injury itself, such as putting a cast on a fractured arm. However, some pain, like unexpected pain in the chest, head, abdomen, or back may not have a straightforward cause and you should probably see a physician. For example, pain in the chest can be caused by something as simple as indigestion, but also by something as serious as a heart attack, which can cause serious disability or death if not diagnosed and treated promptly.

Pain in the low back is common and usually resolves in one to two weeks with rest and simple medications. However, low back or neck pain which is constant or gets worse over time, or is associated with pain or weakness down the legs or arms requires medical treatment. Then, tests, such as a CT or MRI Scan, can be done to determine the cause and guide proper treatment. Once the pain is diagnosed, both the pain, itself, and the cause of the pain can be treated simultaneously. For example, if a lumbar herniated disc is found, you can have a lumbar epidural injection and a strong pain medication for immediate treatment of the pain while surgery is being considered. The most serious problems concerning spine pain which require medical treatment are those which cause severe pain of a truly disabling nature or those which cause progressive weakness in the arms or legs. When these symptoms occur, medical care should be sought urgently, with the primary physician, who can then order appropriate diagnostic tests, begin treatment, and make referrals as indicated for surgical evaluation or for urgent pain management at the Pain Institute of Nevada.