Why Is It Important That We Feel Pain?

Pain is our body’s way of telling us that something is wrong. It works as an alarm system, a signal to tell us to stop doing something that may be harmful to us, and in this way protects us from dangerous situations. For this reason, pain should always be taken seriously.Our ability to withstand pain depends a lot on the mood we are in, our personality and the circumstances under which our pain occurs. In the heat of the moment (e.g. during an exciting foot ball match), we may be able to override our feelings of pain to get the job done.In the FA cup final of 1956, the Manchester City Goalkeeper, Bert Traut man, broke his neck 15 minutes before the end of the match, yet he continued to play and  saw his team clinch victory. 

OUR NERVOUS SYSTEM

Pain gets on our nerves, quite literally.Our perception of pain is controlled by our nervous system, the part of our bodies that records and distributes information throughout the body.  Our nervous system is in two parts, the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.The smallest unit of the nervous system is the nerve cell or neuron. These are highly specialized structures that are able to conduct massages to and from the brain as fast-moving nerve impulses(electrical signals). Nerve cells communicate with each other via their dendrites, spindly extensions that act as antennae and gather information for the nerve cell to deal with. Nerve themselves are made up of bundles of the axons of the nerve cells. They transmit electrical nerve impulses between the peripheral and central nervous systems. To look at it another way, nerve are the electrical wiring of the body and the brain and the spinal cord are the nerve centre-the mission control of pain perception.

 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR DOCTOR

·        Do you know what’s causing my back pain?

·        How severe is my back pain?

·        It is likely to get worse?

·        Do I need to have any tests?

·        What type of treatment suits me best?

·        What should I do if the treatment doesn’t make me feel better?

·        Can I carry on going to work?

·        How long will it take for me to get better?

·        What else can I do to make my back feel better?

·        Are there any exercises that can make my back stronger?

·        Are there any alternative or complementary therapies that might help?

·        What can I do to avoid getting back pain again?

·        Is it all right for me to drive?