Pain is a feeling triggered in the nervous system. Pain may be sharp or dull. It may come and go, or it may be constant. You may feel pain in one area of your body, such as your back, abdomen or chest or you may feel pain all over, such as when your muscles ache from the flu.
Pain can be helpful. Without pain, you might seriously hurt yourself without knowing it, or you might not realize you have a medical problem that needs treatment. Once you take care of the problem, pain usually goes away. However, sometimes pain goes on for weeks, months or even years. This is called chronic pain. Sometimes chronic pain is due to an ongoing cause, such as cancer or arthritis. Sometimes the cause is unknown.
Fortunately, there are many ways to treat pain. Treatment varies depending on the cause of pain.
People used to think they just had to put up with severe pain after surgery. Today, your nurses and doctors can do many things before and after surgery to prevent or relieve your pain.
Treatment of pain can help you in the following ways:
· You can feel more comfortable, which will help your body heal.
· You can get well faster. If you feel less pain, you can start walking and get your strength back more quickly. You may even leave the hospital sooner.
· You may have fewer complications after surgery. People whose pain is well-controlled seem to do better after surgery. For example, they don't have as many problems such as pneumonia and blood clots.
