Pain is a response or signal that is sent to your brain to alert you to actual or potential damage occurring inside the body. Pain tells us that something is not quite right. Pain can be experienced as mild to severe, occasional, pulsating (throbbing) or constant, acute (short-lived) or chronic (long term).
Pain can be felt as a result of many things including:
When you feel pain, the first step to take is to determine the cause of the pain. The underlying cause of pain can be determined with various diagnostic procedures such as a physical examination, neurological examination and various imaging tests such as X-rays and MRI scans. Determining the cause of pain is the most important step in pain management and providing effective treatment to alleviate pain.