Chronic or acute: Pain has a memory.

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Pain is a vital warning signal. They warn us of injury or illness. What is pain memory – what is acute or chronic pain?

And how are they treated?

Pain stimuli are perceived at the points where the signals are received (receptors) and are sent via nerve pathways to the spinal cord and from there to the brain. In the case of untreated or inadequately treated chronic pain, strong pain stimuli are transmitted that constantly change the nerve fibers. The affected nerves become hypersensitive and report even a slight stimulus or touch to the brain as pain.

These factors affect pain

The nervous system creates a rather complex memory trace, and the so-called pain memory is formed. As a result, pain loses its alarm function and becomes a disease in itself. “Aside from psychosocial factors such as stress in the professional and private environment, a false initial diagnosis and inappropriate therapeutic measures also play a role in why pain becomes chronic,” explains neurosurgeon Rinaldo De Agostino.

Acute or Chronic?

Acute pain usually goes away as quickly as it started when the cause is removed. Acute pain can usually be treated relatively easily. Any pain can become chronic. If the cause persists for more than three months despite being identified, it is called chronic. That’s why it’s important to treat pain quickly and comprehensively. Otherwise, chronic pain becomes an independent disease, which creates an unbearable burden for those affected and their relatives.

What can you do about pain?

Throbbing, pulling, tormenting, paralyzing: everyone has their own definition of pain. In Switzerland alone, more than a million people suffer from chronic pain. Pains? You feel them most in our head, back, nerves, and they are caused by external influences such as heat, cold or pressure, or by pathological processes in the body. For example, if you injure yourself by stepping on your ankle while walking, chemical irritants are produced here.

The cause of the pain should be dealt with as soon as possible.

This stimulates the tiny sensory cells located at the ends of the nerves. Pain information from these “damage sensors” is transmitted in the form of electrical currents to the spinal cord, where pain signals are converted into chemical messengers: These transmit pain impulses to the central nervous system and from there to the brain. This is the second switching point of stimulus transmission. Because only when the pain stimuli reach the brain, we can perceive the painful area of ​​the body and react appropriately to the pain.

Therapies are diverse. These include acupuncture, homeopathy, phytotherapy, hypnosis, drug therapies, electrical nerve stimulation, pain pumps, spinal cord stimulation and nerve blockades.

Three levels of pain management

The so-called three-stage plan of the World Health Organization (WHO) is decisive for drug treatment:
Stage 1:
These pain relievers are useful for acute headaches, for example, and some are also available over-the-counter in pharmacies and pharmacies.

Level 2:
This category of pain relievers includes the so-called weak opioids. They are used for persistent, increasing pain.
3rd level:
These pain relievers include strong opioids. They block the transmission of pain stimuli to the brain and thus prevent the development of a pain memory. These drugs are available in the form of patches, tablets, suppositories and syrups. Surgical interventions are considered if the patient has very specific basic needs.

Source : Blick