The International Association for the Study of Pain (1994) defined pain as ‘an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.’ Historically, pain has been a major issue in all countries throughout the world. To this day it continues to place a strain on our health service. According to Bergman (2007) chronic musculoskeletal pain occurs in 35% of the population, this makes it a leading health problem. In relation to low pack pain, 70-85% of people are effected at some stage causing an influence on both the individual and the wider health care system (Sritoomma et al. 2012). Indeed, according to research completed by Maniadakis and Gray (2000) the total cost …show more content…
Pain experiences can be initiated by the expectancy of pain or suffering rather than just noxious stimuli alone, thus indicating many dimensions. (Loeser and Melzack 1999). Shaikh et al. (2010) cited somatic pain as located in the skin, joints and bones whereas visceral pain occurs in body organs. Acute pain is caused by injury to body tissue and subsequent nociceptive transduction, while chronic pain is relentless and tends to continue after the conclusion of treatment, this could be due to the injury being greater than the body’s healing power or damage to the nervous system (Loeser and Melzack …show more content…
Nociceptors are found at the nerve endings of A delta and C fibres, nerve fibres, which run from the periphery to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord (Steeds 2009). Hudspith et al. 2006 suggests that nociceptors are located in skin, muscle, visceral tissues and blood vessels, while Shaikh et al. (2010) indicate that concentration of nociceptive neurons is directly proportional to sensitivity to pain within