June 2008

Pain is most strange….

We all have experienced it.

However if I were to ask you to define pain and in particular, your pain, you would find that there is confusion even at this most basic level. Some people think of their pain as a sharp, stabbing sensation, others as a deep ache … everyone has their own unique way of describing the experience.  They would then try and use another word to describe other uncomfortable sensations.

Health professionals who work in the field find this a challenge and a fundemental problem, not only in communication, but also in understanding. This occurs in all languages and cultures.

WIth this in mind, in the 1990′s a group of experts came together to try to define this mysterious sensation. A pretty tough assignment!

When the final statement came out- quite frankly initially I thought it was a pathetic effort. However the longer I have worked in the field, the more impressed I have become.

So here is my shortened working version of the official definition of PAIN.

Pain is an unpleasant experience, which has both a sensory and an emotional component.

Unpleasant is an interesting word. It is bland and mild, but is very broad & when something is unpleasant it is definately not nice.

Experience is also a word describing something that you are immersed in- which is true about pain.

Sensory describes a message which comes from a sense organ ie a sensation [ touch, hearing etc]

Emotional is a key part of the definition. For something to be pain, it has to make you upset or ‘get you’. If it doesn’t do that- it is not Pain.

So you see the definition is wide  and wise. Anything more specific would have removed many of the varied painful experiences we have all felt and suffered.  It is worthwhile pondering this before moving on.

{ 1 comment }