SIGN IN YOUR ACCOUNT TO HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT FEATURES

FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?

FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

AAH, WAIT, I REMEMBER NOW!
24/7 HELPLINE (903) 212-7500
  • PATIENT PORTAL LOGIN

PhyNet Health PhyNet Health

  • Home
  • Find a Clinic
    • Hughes Springs, TX
    • Longview, TX
    • Jefferson, TX
    • Kilgore, TX
    • Lindale, TX
    • Linden, TX
    • Gladewater, TX
    • Lone Star, TX
    • Tatum, TX
    • Marshall, TX
  • Health Services
    • Primary Care Services
    • Physical Therapy / Rehab
    • Allergy Testing & Treatment
    • Chronic Care Management
    • Remote Monitoring Program
    • Virtual Visit
  • Resources
    • MedlinePlus Wiki
      • Health Topics
    • Home Health Coordination
    • Transitions of Care
    • Insurance Help
  • About Phynet
    • About Phynet
    • PhyNet News
    • Better Together Stories
    • Careers
  • Billing

Health Topics

Skip navigation

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( Lock Locked padlock icon ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine
MedlinePlus Trusted Health Information for You
  • Health Topics
  • Drugs & Supplements
  • Genetics
  • Medical Tests
  • Medical Encyclopedia
  • About MedlinePlus
  • About MedlinePlus
  • What's New
  • Site Map
  • Customer Support
  • Health Topics
  • Drugs & Supplements
  • Genetics
  • Medical Tests
  • Medical Encyclopedia
Español
You Are Here:
Home →
Health Topics →
Pain
URL of this page: https://medlineplus.gov/pain.html

Pain

On this page

Basics

  • Summary
  • Start Here
  • Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

  • Living With
  • Related Issues
  • Genetics

See, Play and Learn

  • Videos and Tutorials

Research

  • Statistics and Research
  • Clinical Trials
  • Journal Articles

Resources

  • Find an Expert

For You

  • Children
  • Older Adults
  • Patient Handouts

Summary

What is pain?

Pain is a signal in your nervous system that something may be wrong. It is an unpleasant feeling, such as a prick, tingle, sting, burn, or ache. Each person feels pain differently, even if the reason for the pain is the same. Pain may be sharp or dull. It may be mild or severe. Pain may come and go, or it may be constant. You may feel pain in one area of your body, such as your back, abdomen, chest, or pelvis, or you may feel it all over.

Pain can help alert you that there is a problem. If you never felt pain, you might seriously hurt yourself without knowing it, or you might not realize you have a medical problem that needs treatment. Finding out what's causing your pain will help your health care provider determine the best way to manage or treat it.

What are the types of pain?

Patterns and types of pain are named based on how long and how often you have pain. These include:

  • Acute pain usually happens suddenly because of a disease, injury, or inflammation (irritation, redness, and/or swelling). This type of pain is often sharp and acts as a warning that something is wrong. It usually goes away when the cause is treated or healed, though sometimes it can turn into chronic pain. Some examples of causes of acute pain include broken bones or dental issues.
  • Chronic pain lasts for longer than three months or the time in which you should have healed. It can affect all aspects of daily life, including your mood and relationships. Some conditions that might cause chronic pain include arthritis or back problems.
  • Episodic pain can happen from time to time and may occur with long-term medical conditions. Some conditions that might cause episodic pain include sickle cell disease or chronic migraines.

Pain may also be categorized by what is likely to be the cause of the pain. Pain may be described as nociceptive (caused by tissue damage or inflammation), neuropathic (caused by nerve damage), or nociplastic (caused by changes in how your nervous system processes pain).

What causes pain?

Understanding what causes pain and why people feel it differently may be difficult. Often, it's easier to find the cause of acute pain due to an injury than the cause of chronic pain, or you may have an ongoing cause of pain, such as cancer.

In some cases, there is no clear cause. Environmental factors and psychological factors such as stress and beliefs about pain may affect the way you feel pain and respond to treatment.

How is pain diagnosed?

You are the only one who knows how your pain feels. Your provider can best measure your pain by how you report it. They may ask you:

  • Where is the pain in your body?
  • How long have you had the pain?
  • How does the pain feel, such as stinging, burning, or sharp?
  • How often do you have pain?
  • When do you feel pain, such as in the morning, evening, or all the time?
  • What relieves the pain?
  • How does pain affect your daily life?
  • Is the pain mild, moderate, or severe?
  • To rate the pain on a scale.

If the cause of your pain is unknown, your provider may also do a physical exam and order blood tests or other medical tests to help find the cause.

What are the treatments for pain?

Pain is not always curable, but there are many ways to manage and treat it. Treatment depends on the cause and type of pain. Treatments may include medicines, such as pain relievers. There are also non-drug treatments, such as acupuncture, physical therapy, and sometimes surgery.

Depending on the cause of your pain and your symptoms, your provider may recommend lifestyle changes. These may include suggestions for:

  • Eating a healthy diet
  • Adding exercise
  • Losing weight
  • Managing stress
  • Improving mental health

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Start Here

  • Overview of Pain (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
  • Pain From the National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
  • Pain Management (American Society of Anesthesiologists)

Treatments and Therapies

  • Managing Pain: Moving beyond Opioids From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
  • Non-Drug Pain Management: MedlinePlus Health Topic From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
  • Nonopioid Therapies for Pain Management (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • Pain Relievers: MedlinePlus Health Topic From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Living With

  • Pain Management: Lifestyle & Management (American Geriatrics Society)

Related Issues

  • Pain and Depression: Is There a Link? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
  • Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
  • Using Alcohol to Relieve Your Pain: What Are the Risks? From the National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) Also in Spanish

Genetics

  • Congenital insensitivity to pain: MedlinePlus Genetics From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine)
  • Paroxysmal extreme pain disorder: MedlinePlus Genetics From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine)

Videos and Tutorials

  • Feeling pain Video (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

  • Trouble With Touch? Feeling Your World From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Pain From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health)
  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Pain Management From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health)
  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Pain Perception From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

  • Article: Heel kicking exercise rapidly improves pain and function in patients with...
  • Article: Cluster-Randomised Controlled Trial of At-Home Virtual Reality for People With Chronic...
  • Article: Efficacy and Safety of Warm Acupuncture Compared to Gabapentin for Pain...
  • Pain -- see more articles

Find an Expert

  • Find a Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician (American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke From the National Institutes of Health
  • Pain Consortium From the National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Children

  • Why Do I Have Pain? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Older Adults

  • Eldercare at Home: Pain Management (AGS Health in Aging Foundation)
  • Pain: You Can Get Help From the National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Aging) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

  • Aches and pains during pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
  • Neuralgia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
  • Palliative care - managing pain (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Topic Image

Pain

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

  • Aches and pains during pregnancy
  • Feeling pain
  • Groin pain
  • Muscle aches
  • Neuralgia
  • Palliative care - managing pain

Related Health Topics

  • Abdominal Pain
  • Back Pain
  • Chest Pain
  • Chronic Pain
  • Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
  • Non-Drug Pain Management
  • Pain Relievers
  • Palliative Care
  • Pelvic Pain
  • Period Pain
  • Trigeminal Neuralgia

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Pain is the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Other Languages

Find health information in languages other than English on Pain

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

  • "Ouch, That Hurts!" The Science of Pain

Disclaimers

MedlinePlus links to health information from the National Institutes of Health and other federal government agencies. MedlinePlus also links to health information from non-government Web sites. See our disclaimer about external links and our quality guidelines.

The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.

  • About MedlinePlus
  • What's New
  • Site Map
  • Customer Support
  • Subscribe to RSSRSS
  • Connect with NLM
  • NLM Web Policies
  • Copyright
  • Accessibility
  • Guidelines for Links
  • Viewers & Players
  • HHS Vulnerability Disclosure
  • MedlinePlus Connect for EHRs
  • For Developers
National Library of Medicine 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health
Last updated March 5, 2025
Return to top

Patients

  • Find a Clinic
  • Health Services
  • Complex Case Management
  • MA / Medicare Assistance

Quick Links

  • Billing Information
  • Careers
  • About Phynet
  • PhyNet News

Network Links

  • PrimeCareHomeHealth.com
  • PrimeCareNet.com
  • PrimeCareManagers.com
  • Core-Rehab.com

Home Office

4002 Technology Center Longview TX 75605
Phone: (903) 247-0484
Fax: (903) 247-0485
[email protected]
  • PrimeCareHomeHealth.com
  • PrimeCareNet.com
  • PrimeCareManagers.com
  • Core-Rehab.com
  • GET SOCIAL

© 2021 PhyNet Health • All rights reserved
YOUR LIFE. YOUR CHOICE.

TOP