Classifications of Pain
Approximately 76.2 million Americans report suffering from pain that lasts longer than 24 hours (“New Report Finds Pain Affects Millions of Americans”). Pain is physical suffering or discomfort caused by illness or injury. Everyone has different levels of pain tolerance. Pain tolerance is the amount of pain a person can endure before outwardly responding to it. The main three types of pain are acute pain, chronic pain, and psychogenic pain. The situation a person is in can and will determine which type of pain they are experiencing. The intensity of that experience is felt on an individual level. No matter the type of pain that is occurring, it is individualized based on ones tolerance. A painful situation to one person may not physically feel the same to another person simply due to personal tolerance level.
The first type of pain, one of the most common, is known as acute pain. Acute pain is temporary pain that has a known cause and doesn’t last longer than six months. With this type pain, the recipient knows exactly where the pain is occurring, The onset of acute pain is usually sharp, but over time as the injury heals the pain diminishes. Examples of this are a twisted ankle, a
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Chronic pain is pain that generally lasts longer than six months. Chronic pain is persistent and most often stems from a previous injury or other health problems, although other times, chronic pain comes with no explanation. Examples of chronic pain are back pain or a serious infection. If not treated, chronic pain can lead to anxiety and depression. Chronic pain is most often managed on individual treatment plan since there is usually no cure. An example of an individual treatment plan is self management. Self-management prepares a person to manage their own pain while staying positive. If not treated appropriately, chronic pain can lead to psychogenic pain (Chronic Pain: Symptoms, Diagnosis, &