Last Updated on November 1, 2024 by Analgesia team
Pain is among the most important signals in our body that help us survive. Pain tends to tell us that something is wrong, like cancer, or help us learn to avoid something harmful, like touching a hot stove. In this way, some forms of pain keep us safe.
Our immune system helps protect our body from outside invaders, like bacteria and viruses, to avoid potential infection. One way the immune system provides protection is through inflammation. Inflammation is a response or a reaction that happens when tissues are injured and the damaged cells release chemicals that cause swelling and attract immune cells to “eat” the dead or damaged cells. This process helps with healing. Aside from pain, inflammation also causes heat, redness, swelling, and function loss.
The immune system is overprotective in some cases, so the inflammation lasts longer than the expected healing time. This overprotection can backfire and contribute to more and longer-lasting pain. Another way that the immune system can be overprotective is called autoimmunity, which happens when the body’s immune system attacks healthy cells. Some autoimmune conditions cause chronic inflammation and pain. An example of an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks the body cells is in the case of Type 1 Diabetes. Here the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
Pain can be complex and have many causes. In some cases, the cause is not known. Pain can also develop a psychological dimension after the physical problem has healed.
Many illnesses and health conditions can cause pain, including:
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition that causes widespread pain and tenderness in the body, along with other symptoms. Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes pain all over the body. Fibromyalgia can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms are similar in different situations. Doctors often have to rule out other causes before making a diagnosis. The symptoms of Fibromyalgia aside from chronic pain could be fatigue, trouble sleeping, headaches, lower abdominal pain or cramps, depression, insomnia, muscle stiffness, and general hypersensitivity. The cause of Fibromyalgia is unknown, but it may be linked to sleep problems, stress, immune, endocrine, biochemical problems, or genetics.
Anyone can get it, but it’s more common in middle-aged women.
Cancer
Pain is a common symptom of cancer and can be caused by the cancer itself, treatments, or diagnostic tests. Pain can be caused by several factors, including:
- Tumors: Tumors can compress or infiltrate nearby body parts.
- Treatments: Cancer treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and targeted therapy can damage body tissue and nerves.
- Diagnostic procedures: Diagnostic procedures can cause pain.
- Hormone imbalances: Hormone imbalances can cause skin, nerve, and other changes that lead to pain.
- Immune response: An immune response can cause pain.
- Emotions: Feelings of anxiety or depression can make pain worse.
- Social or work pressures: Social or work pressures can make pain worse.
However, many people with cancer do not have pain. This is because cancers don’t have any nerves of their own. The pain comes from a tumor pressing on nerves nearby. Pain is more likely with advanced cancer. Advanced cancer means the cancer has spread or come back since it was first treated. As Cancer Research UK would put it, research shows that 55 out of 100 people with advanced cancer (55%) have pain. What is typical about caner pain is that each patient needs a personal plan to control the pain.
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS)
MS can cause a wide range of neurological symptoms, including vision impairment, numbness, tingling, weakness, bladder and bowel dysfunction, and cognitive impairment. There is no cure for Multiple sclerosis, but treatments can help slow the disease, control symptoms, and maintain quality of life.
The most common symptoms of Multi sclerosis include feeling extremely tired, muscle cramps, spasms, and stiffness, sexual problems, including a dry vagina or erection problems, numbness or a tingling feeling in different parts of the body and issues with your eyes or your vision, such as blurred vision or eye pain.
Arthritis
Arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that can cause inflammatory pain. Arthritis is a common condition that causes joint pain, stiffness, and inflammation. It can affect people of all ages, including children. Arthritis can affect any joint, but it’s most common in the hands, wrists, knees, hips, feet, ankles, shoulders, and lower back. Around 10 million people in the UK Live with Arthritis, affecting people of all ages.
There are tens of types of Arthritis but we will discuss only the most common types:
Osteoarthritis: Osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis that causes joints to become painful and stiff. It’s the most common type of arthritis in the UK. Some of the symptoms include crackling or grating noise when moving the affected joint, tenderness, and swelling. Age, Obesity, Family history are some of the causes of Osteoarthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack healthy joint tissue. This results in painful, swollen, and stiff joints, often in a symmetrical pattern on both sides of the body. RA can also affect other parts of the body, including the heart, lungs, eyes, skin, and blood. Symptoms include joint pain, swelling, stiffness, loss of function, fatigue, low-grade fever, and loss of appetite. The affected areas are most commonly the hands and wrists but can affect any joint
Psoriatic arthritis: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) affects joints (such as the knees or those in the hands and feet) as well as areas where tendons join to bone (such as the heel and lower back). Psoriatic arthritis normally occurs after developing skin psoriasis, but some do develop arthritis before they notice any psoriasis on their skin. Psoriatic arthritis is a type of disease that causes pain in the legs and joints. Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) affects men and women equally. It usually develops after age 30. Psoriasis and PsA both run in families; it is more common in whites than in other races/ethnicities. The disease may begin in childhood.
Gout: Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis caused by crystals of uric acid in the joints. These crystals can trigger sudden attacks of swelling, heat, and redness in the joints which can be excruciatingly painful and disabling. During an attack, the joints may be so sore that even the lightest touch such as bedclothes can be unbearable. The symptoms include sore, red, swollen, tender, and hot joints that can come on rapidly. The cause has been linked to a buildup of urate in the body, which can be caused by the body making too much urate or removing too little.
Sickle Cell Disease
Pain in Sickle cell can be underestimated but may be very severe. A sickle cell crisis, also known as a pain crisis or vaso-occlusive crisis, is a sudden and severe episode of pain that occurs when red blood cells block blood flow in people with sickle cell disease.
Sickle cell disease is a collective term for a group of lifelong blood disorders. It is a genetic disorder, meaning a person is born with it and inherits it from their parents. Sickle cell disease can affect anyone, but in the UK, it’s more common in people with African and Carribean backgrounds. People with Sickle cell disease have sickle-shaped Haemoglobin(HBs) which makes it hard for oxygen to be transported smoothly in their bodies. This feature is largely responsible for the various symptoms and complications of sickle cell disease.
Diabetes
Diabetes can cause pain in several ways, including nerve damage, joint pain, and abdominal pain. Pain caused by Diabetes is referred to as Diabetic Neuropathy. Diabetic neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that can cause pain, numbness, tingling, and other sensations in the hands, feet, and legs. It’s caused by high blood sugar levels damaging the nerves that supply the body. Symptoms usually start in the feet and spread up the legs. Pain from diabetic neuropathy can be worse at night and disrupt sleep
Chronic abdominal pain can be a complication of diabetes. It can be caused by neuritis, motor diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, or autonomic dysfunction.
Shingles
Pain is a common symptom of shingles, a viral infection of the nerves that causes a painful rash. Pain can feel like a constant, dull, or burning sensation, and can range from mild to severe. You might also experience sharp stabbing pains. Pain can feel like a constant, dull, or burning sensation, and can range from mild to severe. You might also experience sharp stabbing pains.
Pain usually appears before the rash, and the pain usually goes away after the rash clears up. However, the pain can continue for months or years after the rash goes away, a condition called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). PHN can be extremely painful and interfere with daily life.
AIDS
Pain is a common and treatable problem for people with HIV/AIDS. It can be caused by a number of factors, including the virus itself, the body’s immune response, aging, and side effects of medications. Pain can manifest in a variety of ways, including:
- HIV neuropathy: Can affect the nerves in the hands, feet, and limbs, causing pain, numbness, unusual sensations, and muscle weakness.
- Inflammatory responses: The virus and the body’s immune response can cause pain through inflammation.
- Musculoskeletal pain: This is a type of non-neuropathic pain that can occur in people with HIV.
- Flu-like symptoms: Joint and muscle pain can be a symptom of early HIV, along with fever, headache, and sore throat.
Pain can have a significant impact on quality of life, mobility, mental health, and medication adherence. However, it’s often undertreated and underreported by patients and physicians. Patients may hesitate to report pain because they believe it’s a normal part of having HIV.
There are several ways to manage pain associated with HIV, which include pain medications, non-medicinal therapies, non-drug pain relief therapies etc.
Lupus
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks healthy tissues, causing inflammation and sometimes permanent tissue damage
Common symptoms include:
Sores in the nose and mouth, joint pain or swelling, muscle pain and weakness, fever, sun sensitivity, red rash (such as “butterfly” rash on the nose and cheeks), and swollen lymph nodes. Anyone can get lupus, but women are about nine times more likely to be affected than men. It’s most common in people between the ages of 15 and 45, but it can occur at any age
Stomach Ulcer
Pain from a stomach ulcer can feel like a gnawing or burning in the abdomen and can radiate to the neck, belly button, or back. It can last from a few minutes to a few hours, and often starts a few hours after eating. Some people with stomach ulcers wake up in pain during the night.
However, not all stomach ulcers cause pain, and some may only be noticed when there’s a complication, like bleeding. Small ulcers may not cause any symptoms and may heal on their own.
Antacids can temporarily relieve the pain, but the pain will return if the ulcer isn’t treated. A doctor may recommend antacids or alginates to neutralize stomach acid and relieve symptoms.
Some lifestyle factors, like smoking, drinking alcohol, eating spicy foods, and untreated stress, may make stomach ulcer symptoms worse
Headaches Including Migraine
Some people get migraine headaches after head trauma or a brain injury. Several different brain chemicals (neuro-transmitters) are involved in triggering and perpetuating the migraine attack. Inflammatory changes develop around blood vessels and there are alterations in blood flow to the brain. The usual electrical activity of the brain may change. This complex sequence of events causes the pain and the other symptoms associated with migraine.
A migraine is a type of headache that can cause moderate to severe pain on one side of the head, along with other symptoms. One of these symptoms is pain. A throbbing or pulsating pain that can be aggravated by physical activity
It can last from 4 hours to 3 days or more. Other symptoms associated with migraine are Nausea, vomiting, increased sensitivity to light and sound, sweating, poor concentration, feeling hot or cold, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dizziness
Some people get migraines almost every day, while others get them once or twice a year
Migraines can be caused by a mix of genes, and women are about three times more likely to experience them than men. Hormonal factors may play a role, and some women experience migraines around the time of their period, when taking oral contraceptives, or during menopause.
Sciatica
Sciatica is a condition that causes pain in the sciatic nerve or its associated nerve roots. The pain can feel like a dull ache, tingling, burning, or jolt, and can range from mild to severe enough to make it hard to move. It can occur anywhere along the nerve pathway, but is most common in the lower back, buttock, and back of the thigh and calf.
Here are some common symptoms of sciatica:
- Pain that’s worse after sitting or standing, or during certain times of the day
- Pain that’s worse when coughing, sneezing, or laughing
- Pain that’s worse when bending backward or walking more than a few yards
- Pain that’s worse when straining or holding your breath
- Numbness, tingling, or muscle weakness in the leg or foot
Sciatica can be caused by a number of things, including spinal stenosis, which is a narrowing of the spinal canal that can put pressure on the sciatic nerve.
For most people, sciatica symptoms improve over a few weeks. To help with pain, you can try: