Moderate to Severe Pain

Description

Pain is a general term used to describe a distressing feeling, uncomfortable sensation, and an unpleasant physical or emotional experience. Pain is classified on the basis of location, duration, nature, and intensity. Pain can be associated with a lot of other factors and pain can also be the only manifestation of an underlying disease. Pain is a helpful tool in diagnosing a disease.

Causes

Some common causes of pain include:

Headache,
Stomachache,
Muscle strain,
Menstrual cramps,
Cuts,
Arthritis (inflammation of joints),
Bone fractures.

Some systemic diseases that cause moderate to severe pain include:

Rheumatoid arthritis,
Lupus erythematosus,
Myasthenia gravis,
Juvenile arthritis.

Risk factors

Some prominent risk factors of pain are:

Old age,
Obesity,
Race,
Genetics,
Previous injury,
Childhood trauma,
Stress,
Smoking,
Working at a place that required extreme physical activity.

Symptoms

Some common symptoms of pain are:

Facial frowning,
Constant shifting in bed,
Groaning and whimpering,
Restlessness,
Agitation,
Feeling uneasy,
Withdrawing painful area from touch,
Bad mood.

Diagnosis

To reach a diagnosis, your doctor will take your medical history, examine your painful area, run a few blood tests to rule out systemic disorders, and will ask questions regarding location, nature, intensity, aggravating and relieving factors, duration, of your pain.

Management

Management of pain includes administration of pain relieving medicines, physical therapies such as heat or cold packs and exercise, psychological therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy and meditation, mind and body techniques such as acupuncture, occupational therapy, and community support groups.

When to consult a doctor?

You are advised to consult a doctor if your pain worsens, there is no improvement in your condition, there is a general feeling of uneasiness, and you start experiencing new side effects from the medicines that you are taking.