Types Of Chronic Pain

Where does pain originate?

Every pain felt is different, giving the impression that there are thousands of different pain points. However, there are several common characteristics when experiencing pain. The first is that, regardless of where the pain originates, it is felt inside the brain. This is because the brain is where the pain symptom is processed, using the information that comes from other parts of the body.1

Therefore, if you are ever told that your pain is in your brain, in your mind or in your head, as is often the case with a specific pain called fibromyalgia, you can tell them that, yes, they are right, because that is indeed where pain is processed. You can also suggest to try to move on to more practical things, like looking for solutions to ease the pain, instead of wasting time looking for where exactly the pain might be.1

Do you know that there are three types of pain?

Nociceptive pain: This is pain localized in the affected part of the body, which is exactly the one that hurts. Some examples of this type of pain are sprains, inflammation, osteoarthritis, ulcers, heart attack or contractures.1

Neuropathic pain: This pain originates in the peripheral pathways, the nerves through which the pain travels, and occurs when the nerves suffer damage. The pain is not as localized as nociceptive pain, and impacts the entire length of the affected nerve. Examples of this pain includes
post-herpetic pain — this can happen after you’ve had shingles (herpes zoster) and affects the same area as the shingles rash;
trigeminal pain — causing pain in your jaw or cheek or polyneuropathies.1

Pain of central origin (nociplastic): This pain arises from the altered perception of painful stimuli (or nociception), despite no clear evidence of actual or threatened tissue damage or damage to the nerves. This pain is a diffuse, generalized, not well- defined pain that is often accompanied by other symptoms, such as fatigue, sleep or mood disturbances as is the case in fibromyalgia.1

Do you know that there are three types of pain?

Do you know that there are three types of pain?

How can you understand nociplastic pain?

Nociplastic pain is the increased processing, or a decreased inhibition of pain stimuli at multiple levels in the nervous system, or both.2

Nociplastic pain is the increased processing, or a decreased inhibition of pain stimuli at multiple levels in the nervous system, or both.2

Fibromyalgia is one of the most common nociplastic pain syndromes.2

Fibromyalgia is one of the most common nociplastic pain syndromes.2

Fibromyalgia is one of the most common nociplastic pain syndromes

Fibromyalgia is a nociplastic pain problem3

Nociplastic pain is the appropriate term to use when describing the centrally mediated pain in fibromyalgia and associated central sensitivity syndrome2

Nociplastic pain is a critical component of fibromyalgia3

Fibromyalgia is a nociplastic pain problem3

Fibromyalgia is a nociplastic pain problem

If you (or a person close to you) has experienced unexplained widespread pain for more than three months and cannot get a diagnosis, this may be fibromyalgia

GO TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR.
References:
  1. Rivera, J., 2022. Los dolores. [online] Fibromialgia sin miedos. Available at: https://www.fibromialgiasinmiedos.com/tipos-de-dolor/ [Accessed 31 January 2024].
  2. Fitzcharles MA, Cohen SP, Clauw DJ, Littlejohn G, Usui C, Häuser W. Nociplastic pain: towards an understanding of prevalent pain conditions. Lancet. 2021;397(10289):2098-2110.
  3. Wolfe F, Rasker JJ. The evolution of fibromyalgia, its concepts, and criteria. Cureus. 2021;13(11):e20010.