Pain
An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pain has both physical and emotional components. The physical part of pain results from nerve stimulation. Pain may be contained to a discrete area, as in an injury, or it can be more diffuse, as in disorders like fibromyalgia. Pain is mediated by specific nerve fibers that carry the pain impulses to the brain where their conscious appreciation may be modified by many factors.
Pain is also a term specifically used to denote a painful uterine contraction occurring in childbirth.
The word “pain” comes from the Latin “poena” meaning a fine, a penalty.
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- Pain management
The process of providing medical care that alleviates or reduces pain. Mild to moderate pain can usually be treated with analgesic medications, such as aspirin. For chronic or severe pain, opiates and other narcotics may be used, sometimes in concert with analgesics; with steroids or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs when the pain is related to inflammation; […]
- Pain, abdominal
Pain in the belly. Abdominal pain can be acute or chronic. It may reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen, such as appendicitis or a perforated intestine, or it may result from a fairly minor problem, such as excess buildup of intestinal gas.
- Pain, back
Pain in any part of the back. Pain in the back can relate to the bony spine, discs between the vertebrae, ligaments around the spine and discs, spinal cord and nerves, muscles of the back, internal organs, or skin covering the back. Causes of back pain can include injury, overstress, or disease.
- Pain, breast
Pain in the breast or mammary gland, known medically as mastalgia. From the Greek masto-, breast + algos, pain.
- Pain, chest
Pain in the chest that can be a result of many things, including angina, heart attack (coronary occlusion), and other important diseases. Chest pain is a warning to seek medical attention, so one should try not to ignore chest pain and ‘work through it.’