Pain:  

Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual/potential tissue damage; and it allows the body to react and prevent further pain. Can be acute/chronic. 

Pain is felt when nerve cells namely Nociceptors detect tissue damage and relay information about that damage along the spinal cord to the brain. Pain can be caused by a variety of stimuli, and the main descriptions of pain are neuropathic, phantom and central pain. Neuropathic is a feeling of electrical shocks & cause tenderness, numbness, tingling and discomfort. Phantom occurs post-amputation of a limb and are painful sensations that feel as if they are coming from the missing limb. Central is described as burning, aching and pressing sensations. 

The brain’s interpretation of pain signals + efficacy of the communication channel between brain and nociceptors dictate how an individual experiences pain. Thus, pain is subjective and levels of intensity differs for everyone. 

The general important principles in pain management can be described by the “pain ladder” designed by the WHO in 1986. This reinforces the basic principle that pain requires assessment, and that if an analgesic is ineffective in pain relief, the prescriber should move one step up the ladder, or referral.