Understanding your pain
What is pain?
Pain is a personal experience. Each individual may experience
pain differently.
2. Pain that lasts longer than 3 months. This is the pain that
you will be experiencing. The messages from nerves,
muscles, and other tissues become mixed-up and the pain
lasts past when the healing has finished. How the brain
interprets these messages also changes.
How do we feel pain?
Taking these factors into consideration:
Impulses travel up and down nerves like messages passing up and
down telephone lines. Hence, we cannot see the source of pain
like you cannot see a telephone message. The pain we feel is the
result of how our brain interprets the messages it receives.
What can I do to help myself cope with the pain?
Distraction by music, socialising, reading, hobbies.
Going out of the house.
Relaxation.
Exercise including walking.
The use of heat by hot water bottles or heat packs.
Pain medication.
Massage
Tens.
Is all pain the same?
NO! There are two types of pain:
1. Pain due to an injury, for example, burning a finger. It is
hot and it hurts. This pain tells your brain that you must do
something, for example, move it and put it under cold water
and protect it until it is better. This pain only lasts a short
time while it is healing.
These things may help you to cope better with the pain to do the
things that you want to do.
You may notice that when you are feeling down your pain is worse
and when you are feeling happy your pain is better! This is
because when you are happy your body releases endorphins, your
body’s natural painkillers. Exercise also helps to release these
endorphins.
If you give your body another sensation this can decrease how
much you feel the pain.
A Patient’s Words
“Understanding your pain, see it as less threatening, start to see
that you can move and get stronger even with the pain, and your
confidence grows, you see out of yourself, you don’t notice the pain
quite so much…. and then you realise that your pain has lessened!
The most difficult part, but most helpful exercise was learning how
to pace activity and be gradual with exercises…” (Gifford 2002).
We welcome any suggestions you have about the quality of this
service. Please send your comments, compliments or complaints
to:
Complaints Manager
Universal House
ERF Way
Off Porchin Way
Middlewich
Cheshire
CW10 0QJ
Tel: 0800 5877 888
Web: www.cecpct.nhs.uk
Understanding
Your
Pain
Alternatively, you can contact the Patient Advice and Liaison
Service (PALS) for confidential advice and help. You can contact
PALS by calling Freephone number 0800 161 3997.
If you would like this leaflet in a different format i.e. Braille, large
print, different language then please call 0800 5877 888
Further information regarding chronic pain is available from:
www.painconcern.org.uk
www.action-on-pain.co.uk
Action on pain helpline 01760 725993
Cheshire East Community Health is responsible for providing NHS Services
in the Central & Eastern Cheshire area and is hosted by Central & Eastern Cheshire
Primary Care Trust