Nearly 86 million Americans suffer from some type of ongoing pain. Studies also show that almost 80% of Americans will endure at least one occurrence of back pain. But, what is pain? What are the varying types of pain and how can AOKC assist with alleviating or managing your pain?
According to the International Association for the Study of Pain, pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage. In other words, pain is a warning signal to your brain that something is, or may be, causing harm. There are varying types of pain but the most common are acute and chronic.
Acute pain is normally sharp and sudden associated with the bodies warning signs that something is wrong, it is easily resolved meaning within 3 to 6 months. Some causes of this acute pain is broken bones, burns or cuts, certain diseases, dental work, labor and childbirth, soft tissue injury, and surgical pain.
Chronic pain lasts longer than 3 months and is classified as persistent and severe. This type of pain is more crucial to treat. Chronic pain has a dual affect on the body, hindering a person both physically and emotionally. Causes of this pain include arthritis, cancer, degenerative disc disease and other spinal cord diseases, nerve dysfunction, soft tissue injury such as from a fall or motor vehicle accident, and unresolved disease or injury.
Here at AOKC, we sympathize with patients whom suffer the day to day discomfort in their body. Our pain management specialists have adopted a comprehensive technique/treatment that will determine the type of pain you have, discover the origin of that pain and move swiftly into relieving or managing your pain with specialized techniques including the use of physical therapy and biologics.