National Pain Week

Did you know that 3.34 million Australians live with pain? This number is expected to rise to 5.23 million by the year 2050!

So what is pain? The ‘International Association for the Study of Pain’ (IASP) defines pain as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience. The sensation of pain involves communication between your nerves, spinal cord, and brain.

We all feel pain differently and sometimes it can be difficult to describe the pain to others. It is also possible to experience more than one pain at a time which adds even more to the difficultly.

Understanding the different types of pain can make it easier for you to talk to your Doctor and describe the symptom you are experiencing.

There are two main categories of pain, acute and chronic:

Acute pain is categorised as pain that lasts for a short time. Some common causes of acute pain are cuts, burns, surgery and broken bones.

Chronic pain is pain that persists longer than the usual healing time. Some common examples of chronic pain are nerve damage pain, back pain, arthritis pain and fibromyalgia.

There are many ways to manage pain, for example, pain medicine, ice packs and/or heat packs, physical therapies, massage, and even acupuncture. Sometimes no single treatment can guarantee relief from pain, but relief may be found using a combination of treatment options. Your Doctor can help guide you through the best and safest treatments personalised to you and your pain needs.

If you are concerned about pain or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the practice on 3341 2022 or online via the Hot Doc Booking system.