Pain Relief

What Is Pain?

Pain is often very difficult to define, as its often cause of pain is obvious; example, a broken leg, or a bruise. There are also times when the source of the pain is unseen, for example a slipped disc. It is occasionally very difficult to find the exact cause of a person’s pain. Pain relief is often available for the treatment & management of pain where the underlying cause has been established.

Healthcare professionals use different terms for different types of pain. 1. Short-term pain is called Acute Pain. An example is a sprained ankle. 2. Long-term is called Persistent or Chronic Pain. Back trouble or arthritis are examples. 3. Pain that comes and goes is called Recurrent or Intermittent Pain. A tooth ache could be one.

Most common types of pain;

• Back pain – in most cases, back pains are not caused by anything too serious.
• Headache – types of headaches include; migraine, tension headache and cluster headaches.
• Joint pain – is as a result of damage to the joints, either through disease or an injury.
• Period pain – is the result of muscular contractions of the womb.
• Muscular pain – also known as myalgia, is often the result of too much stress, tension, or physical activity.
• Dental pain – toothache is usually the result of the tooth innermost layer becoming inflamed.

What Treatments Are Available For Pain?

There are two types of treatments for pain, some are available over the counter and other are prescription only medicines. Opioid Analgesics

• Codeine
• Fentanyl
• Hydrocodone
• Hydromorphone
• Morphine
• Methadone
• Oxycodone
• Meperidine

Non-opioid Analgesics

• Paracetamol
• NSAID's such as Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Celecoxib, Mefenamic Acid, Etoricoxib, Indomethacin

Anticonvulsants used to treat chronic pain