Understanding the Connection between Inflammation and Pain

You got an injury, and now you are feeling pain and inflammation (swelling) at the same time. And sometimes both of these are felt without injury! Don’t you think, why does your body react like this? What is the connection between Inflammation and Pain? Keep reading, and I will tell you why!

What are Pain and Inflammation? Before jumping to the main topic, you need to understand, what exactly are pain and inflammation. Pain: Pain is a signal or sensation in your nervous system, to tell you that something is going wrong in the body. It can be anywhere in your body. For example, if you are injured with a blade, you will feel a sensation in that part of your body. Your brain will give you the command to do something about your injury, to prevent it from septic, bleeding, and further infection. Causes: Burn, a broken bone, injury, sprains and strains, headaches, surgery etc. Signs: Facial expressions like a frightened or sad face, cheek raising, tightening or closing eyes, rapid blinking, etc. Vocal expressions like moaning, grunting, screaming, aggressive and offensive speech, fast and noisy breathing, asking for help, calling someone, etc. Inflammation: Inflammation is a natural defense mechanism of your immune system to protect your body from harmful substances and activity. For example, let's take that example of an injury, you got an injury, and now you are ignoring it. After a bit, you will notice that the area around your injury shows redness and swelling. This indicates the outer bacteria or germs, foreign objects which are affecting your body. Causes: Pathogens or germs, external injuries, harmful chemicals, radiation, etc. Signs: The main signs of inflammation are redness, swelling, heat, pain, and the functioning of that particular body part or area. The Connection between Pain and Inflammation Your immune system sends responders named inflammatory cells and cytokines toward the affected area. They create more inflammatory cells, then they stop the foreign bacteria and other harmful agents and start treating the injured tissues. This whole process results in pain, swelling, heat sensation, redness, and bruising around and in the affected area. Pain Management Managing your pain depends on your pain type, whether it is Acute Pain (normal response to an injury, for a short run) or Chronic Pain (a long response, that lasts for days and months). For Acute Pain: Resting that part, applying heat or ice, physical therapies, acupuncture, and massages. Chronic Pain: Physical with psychological therapies, antidepressants, muscle relaxers, anticonvulsants, and anti-inflammatory drugs. There are some familiar and common types of pain, which are joint and muscle pain. You can manage them both through:

• Medications
• Ointments
• Therapies
• Consumption of Vitamins
• Calcium and Copper
• Heating Pads

There are other ways you can try as your muscle and joint pain remedy. Inflammation Management Similar to inflammation, your treatment depends on your inflammatory type, Acute and Chronic Inflammation. For Acute Inflammation: Applying ice, taking rest, and time to time antiseptics. Chronic Inflammation: Use of supplements and eating foods enriched with vitamins A, C, D, and Zinc. anti-inflammatory drugs and other medicinal drugs. Conclusion: I hope you understood the terms and connection between pain and inflammation and the ways to prevent and treat it. If you are suffering from pain or inflammation, use these methods and medications (under Doctor’s prescription). In any case, if it stays longer than expected, immediately ask for help and consultation.