An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue

damage.
Pain may not be directly proportional to the amount of tissue injury.
Highly subjective, leading to undertreatment

The sensation of pain involves communication between your nerves, spinal cord, and
brain. There are different types of pain, depending on the underlying cause.
We all feel pain in different ways, so you may find it difficult to describe the type of pain
you’re feeling to others. You can also experience more than one type of pain at a time,
which only adds to the difficulty.

SAMPLE CHART NOTE

 TORY MVA
INJURY

1
2
  KATIE WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION

Class
ificati

A
c
u
t
e

p
a
i
n

i
s

s
h
o
r
t
-
t
e
r
m

p
a
i
n

t
h
a
t
c
o
m
e

3
 s on suddenly and has a specific cause, usually tissue injury. Generally, it
lasts for fewer than six months and goes away once the underlying cause is
treated.
Acute pain tends to start out sharp or intense before gradually improving.

Common causes of acute pain include:

 broken bones
 surgery
 dental work
 labor and childbirth
 cuts
Pain that lasts for more than six months, even after the original injury has
healed, is considered chronic.

Chronic pain can last for years and range from mild to severe on any given
Chronic pain day. And it’s fairly common, affecting an estimated 50 millionTrusted
Source adults in the United States.

While past injuries or damage can cause chronic pain, sometimes there’s
no apparent cause.
Without proper management, chronic pain can start to impact your quality
of life. As a result, people living with chronic pain may develop symptoms
of anxiety or depression.
Other symptoms that can accompany chronic pain include:
 tense muscles
 lack of energy
 limited mobility
Some common examples of chronic pain include:
 frequent headaches
 nerve damage pain
 low back pain
 arthritis pain
 fibromyalgia pain

Nociceptive pain is the most common type of pain. It’s caused by

stimulation of nociceptors, which are pain receptors for tissue injury.

You have nociceptors throughout your body, especially in your skin and
Nociceptive pain internal organs. When they’re stimulated by potential harm, such as a cut
or other injury, they send electrical signals to your brain, causing you to
feel the pain.

This type of pain you usually feel when you have any type of injury or
inflammation. Nociceptive pain can be either acute or chronic. It can also
be further classified as being either visceral or somatic.

4
 Visceral pain
Visceral pain results from injuries or damage to your internal organs. You
can feel it in the trunk area of your body, which includes your chest,
abdomen, and pelvis. It’s often hard to pinpoint the exact location of
visceral pain.

Visceral pain is often described as:

pressure
aching
squeezing
cramping

You may also notice other symptoms such as nausea or vomiting, as well
as changes in body temperature, heart rate, or blood pressure.

Examples of things that cause visceral pain include:

 gallstones
 appendicitis
 irritable bowel syndrome

Somatic
Somatic pain results from stimulation of the pain receptors in your tissues,
rather than your internal organs. This includes your skin, muscles, joints,
connective tissues, and bones. It’s often easier to pinpoint the location of
somatic pain rather than visceral pain.

Somatic pain usually feels like a constant aching or gnawing sensation.

It can be further classified as either deep or superficial:

For example, a tear in a tendon will cause deep somatic pain, while a
canker sore on your inner check causes superficial somatic pain.

Examples of somatic pain include:

 bone fractures
 strained muscles
 connective tissue diseases, such as osteoporosis
 cancer that affects the skin or bones
 skin cuts, scrapes, and burns
 joint pain, including arthritis pain

Neuropathic pain results from damage to or dysfunction of your nervous

system. This results in damaged or dysfunctional nerves misfiring pain
signals. This pain seems to come out of nowhere, rather than in response to
any specific injury.
Neuropathic pain

5
You may also feel pain in response to things that aren’t usually painful,
such as cold air or clothing against your skin.

Neuropathic pain is described as:

 burning
 freezing
 numbness
 tingling
 shooting
 stabbing
 electric shocks
Diabetes is a common cause of neuropathic pain. Other sources of nerve
injury or dysfunction that can lead to neuropathic pain include:

 chronic alcohol consumption

 accidents
 infections
 facial nerve problems, such as Bell’s palsy
 spinal nerve inflammation or compression
 shingles
 carpal tunnel syndrome
 HIV
 central nervous system disorders, such as multiple
sclerosisor Parkinson’s disease
 radiation
 chemotherapy drugs

6
 Acute Pain Causes

Broken bones Surgery

Pain

dental work labor and childbirth

cuts

7
 Chronic Pain Causes

Frequent headaches
Nerve damage
pain

Low back pain

Arthritis pain

Fibramyalgia
pain
4 Common Pain Management
Treatment/ Procedures

8
Epidural Steroid Injections

What it is: This procedure option is

used to treat chronic pain in the
neck, shoulders, arms, back, and
legs. This treatment involves using
an X-ray to help guide the injection
of anti-inflammatory pain
medication into the area
experiencing pain.

What to expect: Epidural steroid

injections are known for being
effective, low risk, and minimally
invasive. They usually take around
5 minutes and the patient can be put
under local anesthesia or sedation.

Nerve Blocks
What it is: This procedure can help prevent
or manage pain occurring in multiple areas
of the body, when the source of pain is
inflamed spinal nerve(s). The doctor will
inject medicine that blocks pain from
specific nerves, depending on where the
pain is located.

What to expect: Nerve blocks usually take

around 30 minutes and local anesthesia is
often used during the procedure.

9
Facet Joint Injections

What it is: This procedure involves

injecting medicine into the small joints of
the spine. Pain that originates in these
joints often manifests itself in the head,
neck, and back.

What to expect: Like epidural steroid

injections, facet joint injections are usually
low risk and minimally invasive. They also
take roughly 5 minutes, and the patient is
usually under local anesthesia or sedation.

Radiofrequency Ablations

What it is: This procedure is used to treat pain

that is caused by spinal injury or deterioration,
such as degenerative arthritis. It involves using
thermal energy to temporarily disable tiny
nerve endings.

What to expect: Radiofrequency nerve

ablations usually take around 20 minutes and
the patient can be put under local anesthesia or
sedation.

10
Medications

11