We know this is a stressful time, we hope that our resources are able to bring some comfort in this unstable time. We are experiencing this together!

Pain

"Pain starts in receptor nerve cells found beneath the skin and in organs throughout the body. When you are sick, injured, or have other type of problem, these receptor cells send messages along nerve pathways to the spinal cord, which then carries the message to the brain. Pain medicine reduces or blocks these messages before they reach the brain."

Johns Hopkins Medicine

Pain is sometimes an ambiguous word, but it generally refers to the discomfort/instability /actions&injury that evoke very unpleasant feelings, in the body. While we can also experience pain mentally and emotionally, we often first understand pain as suffering as a result of something happening to us. However, it's important to keep in mind that some people feel pain differently, due to chronic illness and helth conditions; and that while for every pain there is a cause, many (even with the support of doctors) do not find answers for their pain and suffering. As upsetting as pain can be, we have to remember that pain is one of our strongest primal pathways in the nervous system, so that we can know when something is wrong or when we should stop doing an action, etc.

This is why we heavily encourage that when you see a trusted doctor, that you are honest about your pain and encourage them to find answers. Many people ignore pains from overuse (typically due to job type), or pains that are from a internal issue that may slowly be arising. This is why going to the doctor, or seeking medical advice is so vital for people everywhere when they are feeling new reoccurring pain. Many people will see new things on their bodies and ignore it because life is too busy, we totally understand, but that doesn't mean we aren't in this together. We encourage that anyone with a concerning health condition seek healthcare, but if they are unable, to do the research you can and find community members who can help you seek more answers.

Short-term pain, (traumas and injuries) often become longer-term issues, because we refuse to acknowledge the body's true bounds. From childhood to adulthood, we are taught to play though injuries, that we are youthful, or that our body's are unbreakable, this is all unfortunately false. It's important that we acknowledge that everyone falls down sometimes, we get cat scratches or paper cuts; however, when a anyone has a trauma that could've caused greater harm, we should always make sure to have them seen by a doctor. When children are hurt, often times they will be emotional, but there are many children who don't respond this way, and may hide important diagnoses from parents or caregivers. This is why we have mutliple types of pain scales that should be cross examined in order to understand the level of care required. (Of course we always assumed it's the highest level of care until proven otherwise).

Pain is used against us often by systems of oppression that are imbedded into all of the corporations and government departments. We know with the recent loss of Medicaid & SNAP and rising of insurance rates in the USA, that we are facing a great issue of people not seeking medical care. We want to remind you that there are still options and that pain is scary for everyone, but no one wants to be in this pain alone. Planned Parenthood, does provide regular healthcare, in times of need. They treat men and women for their health needs, it's important that we donate to these organizations during this time of need.

Emotional

Emotional Pain can be felt in physical pain, and physical pain can become (/be in part by) emotional pain. Emotional pain is often felt through intense emotional feelings.

This may be shown as crying, intense facial movements, and hyperventilation.

Physical

Physical pain can be a functional result of many different things, including other types of pain such as mental and emotional pain. There is a list below of sensations that may be considered painful. It's important that we understand that pain can take on many forms, and doesn't look the same in every person.

Mental

Mental pain is often separated from emotional pain, because it does not stem from an emotion per say. Mental pain is often described as headaches, dysfunction, and sensory issues. Many people whove suffered a TBI have sympotms of mental pain, that are hard to describe but typically range on all the sensations but within the brain/head.

Expression of Pain

Everyone expresses pain differently, often due to the way they were able to express pain in their developing years as a child. When we look at the expressions of pain, it's important that we remember that the pain scales below, can be cross examined so that a patient is receiving the best care possible. When we think about pain we often think about how to stop it, but first we need to figure out why it's there. What exactly does the pain feel like? Many people define pains as pressure, fire, electric, dull/bruise, ligamental, muscular, displacement, open-wound, sharp, cramping, etc. There are many words that can describe the kind of pain that you are in. Expression of pain will also be different based on how often a person is in pain, and to what levels they may be. If a person has experienced the same pain often enough, they may become emotionally numb to the pain, but not physically numb, which is extremely important to understand. Some times our brains can even shut off our emotional response, which can cause serious mental pain/suffering in the time after the pain occurs.

List of Potential Pain Descriptor Words:

Many people define pains as pressure, fire, electric, dull/bruise, ligamental, muscular, displacement, open-wound, sharp, cramping, etc.

Chief Complaint:

The reason the patient came into the hospital or doctor's office; the most obvious issue in the patient's words. This can be refined by initial medical evaluation, but chief complaint often refers to the patient's description of the pain/issue/condition.

Children in Pain:

"The healthcare team will assess pain based on your child’s age and developmental level. Their assessment usually includes listening to how a child describes pain and using pain measurement tools. They also pay attention to a child’s behaviors, such as facial expressions, and how their bodies react to pain, such as increased heart rate. These measures also help the healthcare team measure pain in children who are developmentally challenged or who can’t talk about their pain for other reasons."

Canadian Cancer Society

Signs a Child Is in PainThere are many ways children express pain, depending on their age and ability to communicate. Learn how to tell if your child is hurting.

Assessing pain by age and developmental levelThe healthcare team will assess pain based on the child’s age and developmental level. Their assessment usually includes listening to how children describe pain and using pain measurement tools. They also pay attention to a child’s behaviours, such as facial expressions and how their bodies react to pain.

Pain Scales:

The pain scales below are used to decide how much pain a patient may be in at a given time. It's important that we take into account things about the patient before choosing a pain scale, such as: age, level of consciousness, emotional/mental standing, and current position (chief complaint) as the patient.

Pain Assessment Scales: A full list of all Pain Scales and how they are laid out/work (College of Medicine-Jacksonville)

Pain Assessment Scales/Tools » Pain Assessment and Management Initiative » College of Medicine - Jacksonville » University of FloridaPain Assessment Tools OPQRST QISS TAPED SOCRATES Pain Risk Factors Assessment Form Pain and Sedation Scales for Neonatal and Pediatric Patients in a Preverbal Stage of Development: A Systematic Review Pain Assessment Scales Adult Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) Visual Analog Scale (VAS) Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS) Adult Non-Verbal Pain Scale (NVPS) Pain Assessment…

Pain assessmentPain usually is the major complaint of patients with problems of the back, thus making pain evaluation a fundamental requisite in the outcome assessment in spinal surgery. Pain intensity, pain-related disability, pain duration and pain affect are ...

Nonverbal Pain Scale (NVPS)

Lack of Sensation 'numbness':

Lack of sensation or numbness, can also become painful. While it's not the most commonly discussed form of pain, it still plays a large role in pain and the management of that pain. When we have a lack of sensation in an area, especially when it's caused by an injury or trauma, we may experience phantom sensations. Tingliness and fiery nerves are also sometimes reported as pain that can be related to ongoing numbness in an area. It's important to not ignore the things we start to lose sensation of, because many people will not listen to their body before a decent portion of numbness has set in.

Channelopathy-associated congenital insensitivity to pain: MedlinePlus GeneticsCongenital insensitivity to pain is a condition that inhibits the ability to perceive physical pain. Explore symptoms, inheritance, genetics of this condition.

Hypoesthesia: About, Causes, Symptoms, and TreatmentHypoesthesia is the medical term for a partial or total loss of sensation in a part of your body. Learn about the many potential causes of this condition and when to see a doctor.

Phantom Sensations:

"Phantom limb pain is when you feel pain in your missing body part after an amputation (limb loss). It might seem like an illusion to feel pain in an area of your body that no longer exists. But your pain is real. Your body is adjusting to the change. Treatment is available to help you manage pain after an amputation."

Cleveland Clinic

Phantom sensations: The mystery of how brains process touchPhantom sensations — misattributing tactile sensations to the wrong parts of the body — are a puzzling phenomenon. What can they tell us about the brain?

Phantom sensation, phantom pain, and stump pain - PubMedPhantom sensation, phantom pain, and stump pain have been known since antiquity. For millenia, sensations in the missing body part were thought to be of psychic origin. During this century the psychic explanations have gradually given way to physiological explanations. However, these have been tenuo …

Chronic Illness and Disability:

Viral infections can have a wide range of impacts on the immune system over time, depending on the virus, the duration of infection (acute vs. chronic), host factors (like age and immune status), and whether the virus is cleared or persists in the body. For many people, these infections lead to chronic autoimmune diseases. Those who already face autoimmune diseases or chronic illness, have a higher chance of making things worse when infected with a virus. Even the common cold is able to do serious damage to people whose immune systems are already compromised.

Understanding the impacts of viral infection on the community is vital, as we know autoimmune and chronic illness conditions have been worsening and increasing overtime in our population. While we know that energy, stress, diet, and lots of things have an impact on someone's health, most of those things are out of our control. Those of us who have to work to live, do not always get to decide when to put less energy into work and more energy into our health. Disabililty and Chronic illness is apart of every person's life, whether or not they have been directly effected by it yet.

Dysautonomia & Dysfunction:

"Dysautonomia is an umbrella term used to describe several different medical conditions that cause a malfunction of the Autonomic Nervous System. The Autonomic Nervous System controls the "automatic" functions of the body that we do not consciously think about, such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, dilation and constriction of the pupils of the eye, kidney function, and temperature control. People living with various forms of dysautonomia have trouble regulating these systems, which can result in lightheadedness, fainting, unstable blood pressure, abnormal heart rates, malnutrition, and in severe cases, death."

Dysautonomia International

Chronic Pain:

"Chronic pain is pain that lasts for over three months. You may feel the pain all the time or it may come and go. It can happen anywhere in your body and has countless causes.

Chronic pain is a very common condition and one of the most common reasons why people seek medical care. In 2021, about 20.9% of U.S. adults (51.6 million people) experienced chronic pain, according to a study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)."

Cleveland Clinic: Chronic Pain

DysautonomiaDysautonomia is an umbrella term for any disorder of the autonomic nervous system. This article discusses symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.

Fibromyalgia - Lanier Interventional Pain Center, Gainesville, GeorgiaFibromyalgia is a condition treated at Lanier Interventional Pain Center, a physician-led pain management practice serving patients in Gainesville, Georgia and the surrounding Hall County area.

Common Pain Diagnoses - Lanier Interventional Pain Center, Gainesville, GeorgiaCommon Pain Diagnoses by Lanier Interventional Pain Center, a physician-led pain management practice serving patients in Gainesville, Georgia and the surrounding Hall County area.

Degenerative Disc Disease - Lanier Interventional Pain Center, Gainesville, GeorgiaDegenerative Disc Disease is a condition treated at Lanier Interventional Pain Center, a physician-led pain management practice serving patients in Gainesville, Georgia and the surrounding Hall County area.

Whiplash - Lanier Interventional Pain Center, Gainesville, GeorgiaWhiplash is a condition treated at Lanier Interventional Pain Center, a physician-led pain management practice serving patients in Gainesville, Georgia and the surrounding Hall County area.

Peripheral Neuropathy - Lanier Interventional Pain Center, Gainesville, GeorgiaPeripheral Neuropathy is a condition treated at Lanier Interventional Pain Center, a physician-led pain management practice serving patients in Gainesville, Georgia and the surrounding Hall County area.

Disability/ Differences/ Chronic Illness

Its important for us to discuss all the ways that understand our bodies can benefit us; many of us as children didn't understand our pains and aches when we first experienced them. If you are experiencing more pain than usual or having different perception, it can be hard to determine that for yourself at a young age. For this reason many learning differences and disabilities, chronic illnesses, and other medical issues go on noticed for a long period of your youth. Some Chronic Illnesses and Disabilities force people to grow up a lot earlier than they expected to, and have difficult conversations about health and benefits of possible treatments. Just because someone may not appear to have a disability or difference, doesn't mean they don't have one. If you are an abled bodied individuals it can be hard to take this kind of respect or understanding into context, because you haven't experienced it. That is okay, but it doesn't mean it is okay to disregard the people impacted by Ableism around you. Many social systems have several forms of ableism build into them, we saw this as the pandemic made many businesses and their employees learn how to work from home and adapt to different environments in the hope of preserving life.

It's also key to rememeber that the differences that any individual may experience may change the ways in which they choose to experience sexual pleasure, comfort, etc. So it's important to keep really good communication when engaging in any sexual acts, but even more when you are navigating a body or feature that you may not understand yet.

Pain Management:

While we know pain management is a touchy subject both for patients and doctors, we have to be able to discuss the needs of a patient and doctor without losing the facts. Pain is managable, and there are lots of options for potential treatment methods to treat pain. Most often people think of medications, specifically opioids or pain relieveing drugs, but often that is not what the patients want, instead they want a functional pain management plan. So where do we start? First we have to figure out what our problem is, and what potential causes or conditions have created the occurrence. Often we have to talk with the doctor about a plan for structural health; is there any strengthening exercises and holistic care methods that one should try to ease the area that is in pain? Then, what can we do to actively mitigate pain and allow for a person to move on to trying to strengthen, heal , etc. While stronger medication can be suggested, many doctors will try steroids injections, Anti-Depressant & Anti-spasm medications (etc.), and potentially procedures, before prescribing a strong opioid medication.

Pain management for most people looks like assistive devices, short-term anti-inflammatory medicines, and community care. For many people who deal with chronic pain, it can be nearly impossible to ever feel full relief, but everyone has their own helpful tasks, such as: warm baths, epsom salt baths, hot/cold compresses, compression wear, postural support, stretching/yoga , breathing routine, etc.