Pain is unpleasant but nonetheless plays an important role in protecting our bodies. It warns us when things are not as they should be. When our bodies are under attack, injured or when one of our bodily systems malfunctions, pain alerts us to the problem.

Research suggests that almost every eight man and every fifth woman in the western world suffers from chronic pain. Literally millions of people around the world suffer on a daily basis for chronic back pain, headaches or recurring pain associated with arthritis. Often surgical intervention is not possible or relevant and patients have to learn to manage their pain. And in many cases for the remainder of their lives

Where does pain come from?

Pain occurs when bodily tissue is so stressed that it is threatened with destruction. When a certain threshold of stimulation is exceeded, the injured zone sends an impulse to the brain and it is here that the pain is actually produced.

Three types of pain

• Acute pain
  Acute pain is a pain which occurs suddenly. It can be blinding and powerful. Acute pain can last up to a week and be treated very effectively.
• Recurring pain
  Certain pains appear at regular intervals but do not last long. Among typical recurring pains are, for example, migraines or menstrual pains.
• Chronic pain
  Chronic pain occurs when acute pain is not sufficiently alleviated. It lasts more than six months and represents a disease in itself which must be treated. Sometimes, it becomes independent of the initial pathology. The brain has become “accustomed” to the signal and continues to produce a pain all by itself, even without a signal. This is why it is so important to treat acute pain.
  

Treatment of pain

The treatment of chronic pain requires the collaboration of specialists coming from various medical disciplines. Therapeutic progress against pain is very promising. It includes sophisticated procedures of medicinal and non-medicinal treatment. One of the gentlest approaches is Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS). TENS works in 2 ways depending on the frequency of the stimulation applied. Either by blocking the pain signal itself so that it is not picked up by the brain (Pain Gate Control); or by encouraging the release of endorphins which are the body’s own natural pain relieving hormones.