About Pain

What is pain?

Pain is an unpleasant sensation that has a vital protective function. It acts as an early warning signal to alert you that something is not right with your body. If the body tissues are damaged, the affected area becomes more sensitive than normal to pain sensation in a process called inflammation. This pain discourages excessive movement and contact of the injured area.

Why do we experience pain?

If we couldn’t feel pain, we would be unable to avoid repeated injury or permanent damage to our bodies. Pain alerts us to protect ourselves from further harm and allow healing to take place. However, pain can also make day-to-day activities difficult and slow down recovery of movement.

Identifying your pain

Before reaching for relief, it is helpful to understand why the pain has occurred, and the best ways to manage it. If in doubt, seek medical advice from your local doctor or pharmacist. Whether you have back pain, neck and shoulder pain, joint pain/osteoarthritis or strains, sprains and overuse injuries, find out what is happening to your body.