The 13 types of pain: classification and characteristics

Whether acute or chronic, in the head, back or tooth, pain can seriously interfere with a person's life and can be highly disabling. Pain appears after trauma or may be the symptom of an injury or illness that we were not aware of.

Whatever the cause, pain can emerge in different places and with different intensity. In this article we review the different types of pain.

One of the first causes of medical visit

Pain is a very unpleasant sensory and emotional experience that we have all felt at some time. It is one of the most frequent reasons for medical visits and represents a serious problem for a large part of the population. In Spain it is estimated that 6 million adult individuals suffer pain, that is, 17.25% of the adult population.

And it is that pain affects the lives of individuals causing serious emotional and psychological problems, and is even, on many occasions, a reason for sick leave. The suffering associated with pain completely invades all the emotional and cognitive processes that are are producing in our mind and cause all our attention to shift towards an intense suffering. When pain accompanies us, our life changes completely.

• Recommended article: "The 8 worst pains that human beings suffer"

How pain works

Years ago, the idea that the perception of pain depended solely on damage was obsolete physical, in which receptors in the affected area sent signals to the brain and it was simply felt pain. The insufficiency of this theory to explain pain such as that of the phantom limb (when a person loses a limb of the body but continues to feel pain in that area despite the fact that it is no longer there), made the world of science mobilize to find answers to the question of why we feel pain people.

One of the most significant findings is that of Ronald Melzack, who gave rise to the neuromatrix theory. This theory explains that the diffusion of pain and its transmission through the body is due to a complex system in which various areas of the system are involved. central and peripheral nervous, autonomic nervous system and endocrine system, directly influenced by various psychological, emotional, genetic and social. This idea is later than the one that Melzack and Patrick Wall themselves formulated in 1965, called the Control Gate Theory.

According to the Gate of Control Theory, pain is made up of three dimensions:

• Sensory or Discriminatory: are the physical properties of pain.
• Motivational or Affective: relative to the emotional phenomena of the same.
• Cognitive or Evaluative: in reference to the interpretation of pain based on attentional aspects, previous experiences, the sociocultural context, among others.

In other words, pain perception is not direct, but there is a modulation of the message at the level of the spinal cord. In order to feel pain, the brain needs to receive the message. This implies that in order to experience pain, the arrival of this information is necessary, but before reach your destination, there is a gateway that, depending on whether it opens or closes, the pain is felt or not. The control gate depends on physical, emotional and cognitive factors.

The types of pain that exist

Pain can be classified in different ways. Below you can find a list of the different types of pain.

Depending on the duration

Depending on its duration, pain can be classified in different ways.

1. Acute

This type of pain acts as a warning of real or impending pain, it is short-lived and it contains little psychological component, since there is no time to think about it and the implications of the injury that causes it. An example is the pain that arises after a contusion or musculoskeletal fracture.

2. Chronic pain

Chronic pain is pain lasting more than six months. The prevalence of this type of pain in European populations of approximately 20%. It is accompanied by the psychological component, since in addition to being an unpleasant experience in itself, it is a constant reminder that certain parts of the body are failing or not working exactly as they should. It is, for example, the pain suffered by cancer patients.

If you want to know more about chronic pain, you can read our article: "Chronic pain: what it is and how it is treated from Psychology”

Depending on the source of the pain

According to the source, the pain may be ...

3. Physical pain

Physical pain is a painful sensation that actually exists somewhere in the body. It can be the result of a light blow or serious trauma (such as a tear), poor posture, or illness. Some examples are: back pain or toothache.

4. Emotional pain

Emotional pain is a subjective experience in which the person has a wound that no one sees. The causes can be different: a couple breakup, a change of city, the dismissal of a job... Regardless of the cause, it has its origin in not knowing how to manage the change in life and not having the necessary resources to face the new situation.

• If you are interested in delving into this topic, you can do so by visiting our article: "The 10 keys to coping with emotional pain”

5. Psychological pain

Psychological pain may seem the same as emotional pain, but it is not exactly like that. Psychological pain is what is known as pain somatization, which has its origin in an emotional state (stress, anxiety, sadness, etc.) and is reflected on a physical level or in the form of illness.

Depending on the pathogenesis

According to the pathogenesis, pain can be classified into the following.

6. Neuropathic

Neuropathic pain is a stabbing pain, burning and is usually characterized by the sensation of increased pain produced just after the injury. Its cause is a direct stimulus to the CNS or an injury to the nerve pathways. Some examples are: post-chemotherapy peripheral neuropathy or spinal cord compression.

7. Nociceptive

It is the most common. Occurs by stimulation of an intact, normally functioning nervous system. It is a type of pain that is beneficial to the body since it is a protective action to prevent further damage and proceed with tissue repair and regeneration. There are two types: somatic and visceral.

8. Psychogenic

Unlike the previous two, its cause is not nociceptive stimulation or neuronal alteration, but rather its cause is psychological. Some psychic variables that influence this pain are certain beliefs, fears, memories or emotions. It is a real pain and therefore requires psychiatric treatment of the cause.

Depending on the location

Depending on the location, pain is classified into ...

9. Somatic

Occurs from abnormal excitation of somatic nociceptors in the skin, muscles, joints, ligaments, or bones. Treatment should include the administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

10. Visceral

It is produced by the abnormal excitation of visceral nociceptors, and can affect areas far from the place where it originated. Colic, pain from liver metastases, and pancreatic cancer are examples of this type of pain. Opioids are used for its treatment.

Depending on the intensity

Depending on its intensity, the pain may be ...

11. Mild

It is the least intense pain. The person with this type of pain can carry out daily activities. The pain can become so low that under certain circumstances it is not perceived and "disappears" completely simply due to distractions or a correct management of the attention focus.

For example, in many cases the inflammation of the gums produces a slight pain (without stopping that it can become a serious problem if it goes to more).

12. Moderate

Pain with a certain intensity that interferes with daily activitiesAlthough it does not totally incapacitate the person and, in general, the person can continue to have an autonomous life to a greater or lesser extent. It requires treatment with minor opioids.

13. Severe

The most intense pain. It not only interferes with daily activities, but also with rest. Its treatment requires major opioids and disables the person so much that it makes them depend on third parties, whether they are friends, family or caregivers.

Other kinds of pain

In addition to the above, depending on the affected area there are different types of pain: back pain, headaches Y migraines, toothache, etc. It is worth mentioning a very painful disease called fibromyalgia, characterized by chronic muscle pain of unknown origin, accompanied by a feeling of fatigue and other symptoms.

In addition, a pain that has aroused much interest in the scientific field is phantom pain, produced by the phantom limb, a term introduced by Silas Weir Mitchell in 1872, and suffered by some people who have lost an arm, a leg or an organ and who continue to experience the sensations of amputated limbs.

• You can learn more about this curious phenomenon in our article: "The phantom limb and mirror box therapy”