The Six Components of Chronic Pain

By Barry K Hughes

The 6 Components of Chronic Pain
When you think of your pain, you probably think of it as one uniform entity. You may think "My pain is worse today "or "I wish it would go away." In reality, what we call pain can be broken down into several different aspects. By looking at these aspect one at a time, you can better understand your unique situation.

The Pain Experience - refers to your personal and subjective experience of pain sensations. The experience is unique to each person, and can't be measured or confirmed by someone else. It is entirely what you feel.

Physical Injury and Damage is related to actual damage to tissue. In acute pain, this relationship is usually pretty clear (e.g., with a broken arm). With chronic pain, there is often less connection to physical injury, since the body may just be sending signals that have outlived their usefulness.

Medical Test Findings - refers to the results of medical tests like x-rays or MRI scans. This component is different than physical injury, since a lack of medical test findings does not necessarily mean there is not some undetected physical injury.

Suffering - includes not only pain, but all the negative emotional complications that can go along with it: depression, fear, anxiety, and anger. These do not always go hand in hand; it is possible to decrease your suffering even in the face of chronic pain.

Disability - refers to the interference of pain with things that you've liked to do in the past, such as work, play with your kids or grandkids, or engage in recreational activities. Level of disability is related to your actual pain level, as well as to complicating emotional factors.

Pain Behavior - includes the part that can be seen by others. Pain behavior may be a verbal expression of discomfort, limping because of back or leg pain, or just a grimace or wince when in pain. Pain behavior can effect how other people interact with you; for example, when a person exhibits little pain behavior, other people may not understand the degree of your pain.

Alternatively, some people find being around someone with a lot of behavior frustrating.

I strongly encourage you to think about where you're at with each of these components. Analyze the areas in which you feel you are having the most difficulty. Try to find areas where you can make changes that will improve the quality of your life.

As an example, you may find that while you can't change the fact that you're not able to work at this time (disability), you may, through exercise or hypnosis or yoga, improve your perception of the severity of your pain (experience).

You may not be able to have an impact on your experience, but by altering your activities and engaging in more things you find pleasurable, you may be able to reduce the level of suffering you experience in your day to day life.

Rather than being overwhelmed by your experience try breaking it down into these smaller pieces, and looking for ways you can make small changes that can add up to a big improvement in your quality of life.

Barry Hughes, Ph.D. is a psychologist and publisher of Chronic Pain Alternatives which provides "Resources and Information for People with Chronic Pain." He has built this site using Site Build It the easiest way to translate your passion onto the Web.

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Understanding The Different Lower Back Pain Causes

By Sky Joe

There are many different causes of lower back pain, as almost any segment of the spine can be damaged and give rise to pain. Disorders of other parts of the body, particularly the lungs, kidneys and female reproductive organs can also cause backache. Most back pain is neither severe nor life-threatening, and can be treated adequately at home. However, since pain anywhere in the back can be a symptom of a serious disorder, it is important that you have some idea of what might be causing your pain, so that you can decide what remedies to take.

One easy way to cause lower back pain is to sit for prolonged hours, without any movement of the legs or body. This can happen even if you maintained a good sitting posture as inactivity causes the back muscles to become weak and inflexible. In addition, if you have poor posture and leg-length discrepancy, lower back pain is even more likely to occur.

Doing strenuous physical activities such as lifting heavy objects improperly can also contribute to lower back pain. This is because such activities usually involve bending forward or moving too quickly or awkwardly, which will inevitably adds pressure on the back. Uncomfortable workstations, such as chairs with inadequate support will also increase the likelihood of lower back pain.

Besides the physical factors, emotional stress can also be a contributing cause of lower back pain. Breath-holding or shallow, rapid breathing that often occurs during times of stress, can stiffen and cause tension in the muscles of the spine. This not only results in compression forces in the spine, but can set the stage for even a minor physical incident, such as bending over, to throw the back out of balance and cause lower back pain.

Women, who are wearing high heels for long hours, are also prone to lower back pain. This can be due to prolonged standing or insufficient arch support of the heels. It has also been well known that pregnant women are likely to experience back pain due to the increased weight. In addition, they may also encounter low back pain during delivery, which is also called back labor. While there is no solution to this excruciating pain, it does pass.

Understanding the different lower back pain causes and symptoms can help you to take preventive measures to minimize their chances of suffering from a back problem in future.

©Skyjoe. All rights reserved. This article may be freely distributed as long as it remains unaltered inclusive of the active links and the copyright notice. No alteration is allowed without express written permission from the author.

For more information on effective back pain remedies, quick cures for back pain or fun back pain exercises, you can visit this site: Back Pain Clinic

Get Relief from Arthritis Pain Naturally

By Nick Mutt

Arthritis is a common problem that literally means pain and inflammation in joints. Previously it was considered the problem of elderly people but now it is also very common among younger age people. In this the joint becomes inflamed and causes severe pain.

Symptoms of Arthritis
- Pain in joints- Inflammation- Difficulty in movement- Warmness in joint- Affected area becomes red

Causes of Arthritis
- Improper diet- Metabolic disorder- Hereditary factors- Excess use of joints- Due to aging

Types of Arthritis
There are more than hundred types of arthritis but the three most common types of arthritis are as below

- Rheumatoid Arthritis - It is a condition that occurs due to the attack of our immune system on the joints. It happens due to vata vitiation in our body. It causes severe pain and swellings in the joints.

- Gout - It is a condition that occurs due to improper lifestyle. People who lack physical activities are more likely to suffer from such type of disorders. In this, the serum uric acid gets increased and due to this its crystal formation occurs and gets settled in between the joint space. This hinders the free movement of the joint.

- Osteoarthritis - It is a condition in which there is a formation of osteophytes in the joints. The cartilaginous tissue present in the joint gets converted to bony structures. Due to this body tissue formation the movement of the joints gets restricted and results in severe pain in the joint on movement.

Home Remedies for Arthritis

- Rub the castor oil on the affected joint to get relief form joint pain. It is very effective in suppressing pain as it is vata suppressant.

- Mix 2 tablespoons of lemon with the honey and take it with a cup of warm water. It will help you to get relief from joint pains.

- Take ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder in warm milk. It is also an effective home remedy for arthritis pain relief.

- Apply hot vinegar on the affected joint to get relief from pain.

Disclaimer: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

Copyright © Nick Mutt, All Rights Reserved. If you want to use this article on your website or in your ezine, make all the urls (links) active.

Know more on Home Remedies for Arthritis and various other ailments at Natural Cures Guide. Visit http://www.home-remedies-guide.com for easy and effective home remedies for all common health problems from acidity to yeast infection.