Pain

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Pain is the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

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Find health information in languages other than English on Pain

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Summary

Pain is a signal in your nervous system that something may be wrong. It is an unpleasant feeling, such as a prick, tingle, sting, burn, or ache. 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, chest, pelvis, or you may feel pain all over.

Pain can be helpful in diagnosing a problem. If you never felt pain, you might seriously hurt yourself without knowing it, or you might not realize you have a medical problem that needs treatment.

There are two types of pain: acute and chronic. Acute pain usually comes on suddenly, because of a disease, injury, or inflammation. It can often be diagnosed and treated. It usually goes away, though sometimes it can turn into chronic pain. Chronic pain lasts for a long time, and can cause severe problems.

Pain is not always curable, but there are many ways to treat it. Treatment depends on the cause and type of pain. There are drug treatments, including pain relievers. There are also non-drug treatments, such as acupuncture, physical therapy, and sometimes surgery.

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Start Here

Pain (Merck & Co., Inc.)Also in Spanish
Pain Management (American Society of Anesthesiologists)
Pain: Hope through Research (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

Magnets for Pain Relief (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
Managing Pain: Moving Beyond Opioids (National Institutes of Health)Also in Spanish
Non-Drug Pain Relief: Imagery (Ohio State University Medical Center) - PDF
Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (American Osteopathic Association)
Pain (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
Pain Relievers: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine)Also in Spanish
Pain: Considering Complementary Approaches (eBook) (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
Stress Management: Massage (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)