Welcome to Pain 101
Your 101 pain survival guide
Welcome to our pain survival guide! In this page we’ve briefly summarized all you need to know about pain, by delving deeper into the causes, types, and simple home treatments. If you think anything should be added, please let us know!
What is pain?
Pain is defined as an uncomfortable sensation in the body stemming from damage to the nervous tissue and system.
Causes of pain
There is a wide variety of causes of pain, the most common one being physical injury or a medical condition. In some cases however, the cause is not specific or known.
Some common causes:
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Headache
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Sore throat
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Toothache
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Cramps
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Muscle strains
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Bruises
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Bone fractures
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Existing medical condition
Now let's briefly outline the 4 main types of pain
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Pain management
If you’ve injured your ankle, or cut your knee, chances are, your injury is minor, and can be safely treated at home. Experts from ‘healthline’ recommend following the RICE procedure (Rest, ice, compress, elevate)
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Rest the injured area
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Ice the injured area for about 10-20 minutes
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Compress the injured area, by wrapping in an elastic bandage tightly enough to provide support, but not tight enough to be numb
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Elevate the injured area
If your symptoms don’t improve within a week of home treatment, contact a medical professional.
Rest
Ice
Compress
Elevate
When to seek help
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Contact a doctor if:
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The injury has caused substantial damage to your body ie: broken bones, severe bleeding, head injury
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It interferes with your day to day activities
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Acute or sharp internal pain - this could be a sign of ruptured appendix or bowel perforation
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Pain is located in your chest, back, shoulders, neck, or jaw and accompanied by other potential signs or symptoms of a heart attack, such as pressure in your chest, shortness of breath, dizziness, weakness, cold sweats, nausea, or vomiting
Sources:
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WebMD. 2011. Top Causes of Chronic Pain. [online] Available at: <https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/features/causes-pain>
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Gabbey, A., 2021. Everything You Need to Know About Pain. [online] Healthline. Available at: <https://www.healthline.com/health/pain>
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Beaumont.org. n.d. Types of Pain | Acute, Chronic, Radicular & More | Beaumont | Beaumont Health. [online] Available at: <https://www.beaumont.org/services/pain-management-services/types-of-pain>
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Cirino, E., 2018. Causes of Chronic Pain. [online] Healthline. Available at: <https://www.healthline.com/health/chronic-pain#causes>