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Index of Diseases and Conditions: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Pain

Pain is a feeling triggered in the nervous system. Pain may be sharp or dull. It may come and go, or it may be constant. You may feel pain in one area of your body, such as your back, abdomen or chest, or you may feel pain all over, such as when your muscles ache from the flu.

Pain can be helpful. Without pain, you might seriously hurt yourself without knowing it, or you might not realize you have a medical problem that needs treatment. Once you take care of the problem, pain usually goes away. However, sometimes pain goes on for weeks, months or even years. This is called chronic pain. Sometimes chronic pain is due to an ongoing cause, such as cancer or arthritis. Sometimes the cause is unknown.

Fortunately, there are many ways to treat pain. Treatment varies depending on the cause of pain. Pain relievers, acupuncture and sometimes surgery are helpful.

Pain on Wikipedia

According to the International Society for the Study of Pain, there are two different terms: '''pain''' and '''nociception'''. Pain is a subjective experience that accompanies nociception, but can also arise without any stimulus. It includes the emotion response. Nociception is a neurophysiology term and denotes the activity in the nerve pathways. These pathways transmit the unpleasant signals that are not always painful. Although pain can be associated with biological tissue damage or inflammation, this is often not the case. Despite its unpleasantness, pain is a critical component of the body's defense system. It is part of a rapid warning and defense relay instructing the motoneuron of the central nervous system to minimize detected physical harm. The gate control theory of pain is a theory concerning how cognitive and emotional factors might dramatically influence painful sensations. It focuses on different pain states at the brain, rather than at the perceived site of injury.

Nociception

'''Nociception''' is the physiological sense for perception of '''physiological pain'''. Nociception does not describe psychological pain. Nociceptors are the free nerve endings of neurons that have their cell bodies outside the spinal column in the dorsal root ganglion and are named based upon their appearance at their sensory ends. These sensory endings look like the branches of small bushes. The interpretation of pain occurs when the nociceptors are stimulated and subsequently transmit signals through sensory neurons in the spinal cord, which releases glutamic acid, a major exicitory neurotransmitter that relays signals from one neuron to another and ultimately to the thalamus, in which pain perception occurs. From the thalumus, the signal travels to the cerebrum, at which point the individual becomes fully aware of ...   [ Read More ]


External Resources

PopMatters - Bring Da Pain - Review by Cynthia Fuchs (negative).

Nitrate Online - Bring Da Pain - Review by Cynthia Fuchs (negative).

Salon: The Company of Men - "Admirers of 'Fight Club' author Chuck Palahniuk convene to discuss art, life, masculine pain and why groin kicks are very, very popular."

Apollo Movie Guide - Labor Pains - Review, links, and cast information.

Film Threat: Labor Pains - Review by Merle Bertrand looking at the plot and making comparisons with Hitchcock films.

IMDb - Labor Pains (2000) - Cast/credits plus additional information about the film

Anthony Mann - David Boxwell examines the pain, patriarchy and paranoia in the director's work for Senses of Cinema.

Bad City Blues - A dark tale of human violence and inner pain, directed by Michael Stevens and written by Tim Willocks. Storyline, cast and crew, downloads, script, and distribution details.

Painful Cinema - In-depth reviews of bad films, accompanied by stills from the films. Also includes background information and links.

Pain's Domain - Stories, artwork, sounds, and image galleries based on the film.


Related Pages on HealthTales.com:

Abdominal Pain
Back Pain
Pain Relievers
Pelvic Pain
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

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