Pain 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.
What are the types of pain?
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, or recurs, for months or years. Some people also experience chronic pain following an injury, even after the initial injury has 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. In certain cases, the cause of chronic pain is difficult to pinpoint. It’s possible to experience chronic pain when there’s no other evidence of underlying injury or illness.
- In certain cases, the cause of chronic pain is difficult to pinpoint. It’s possible to experience chronic pain when there’s no other evidence of underlying injury or illness. This is known as functional pain. Examples of functional pain include fibromyalgia.
- Episodic pain can happen from time to time and may occur with long-term medical conditions. Some conditions that might cause episodic pain include chronic migraines and gout.
Pain may also be categorized by what is likely to be the cause of the pain.
- Nociceptive: caused by tissue damage (cuts, burns, bruises, fractures) conditions that cause tissue inflammation or damage (for example, arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease)
- Neuropathic: caused when the nerves themselves are damaged or not functioning optimally. Causes can include herniated or bulging spinal discs.
How you describe your pain, its area of distribution, and any related symptoms are important to determine a back pain diagnosis. Three common classifications of back pain include:
- Axial pain. Also called mechanical pain, axial pain is confined to one spot or region. It may be described a number of ways, such as sharp or dull, comes and goes, constant, or throbbing. A muscle strain is a common cause of axial back pain as are facet joints and annular tears in discs.
- Referred pain. Often characterized as dull and achy, referred pain tends to move around and vary in intensity. As an example in the lower back, degenerative disc disease may cause referred pain to the hips and posterior thighs.
- Radicular pain. Commonly described as electric shock-like or searing, radicular pain follows the path of the spinal nerve as it exits the spinal canal. This type of pain is caused by compression and/or inflammation to a spinal nerve root. In the lower back (lumbar spine), radicular pain may travel into the leg. Other terms for radicular pain are sciatica or radiculopathy (when accompanied by weakness and/or numbness). It can be caused by conditions such as a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, or spondylolisthesis.
Imagine a life without pain. We’d all like that!
Unpleasant as it is, pain is a signal in your nervous system that something is wrong. If you never felt pain, you would never know that you had hurt yourself or that something is wrong. Pain is a protective mechanism that alerts us to potential or actual harm to the body and can be helpful when diagnosing a problem.
In chiropractic care, pain is understood as the body’s way of signaling that something is not moving, functioning, or adapting as it should. Whether it presents as a sharp ache, stiffness, or tension, pain draws attention to areas of stress, imbalance, or dysfunction in the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Rather than masking it, the goal is to listen carefully and identify its source, because pain often appears later than the underlying issue that caused it.
Pain is useful to guide both patient and practitioner toward restoring proper movement, alignment, and nerve communication. When addressed correctly, pain can lead to improved function, better posture, and greater overall resilience. It teaches awareness—how we sit, move, and carry stress—and encourages proactive care rather than reactive treatment. In this way, pain is not simply something to eliminate, but a critical part of the body’s feedback system that helps us move toward healthier, more balanced living.
If you have any questions about the health or alignment of your spine or that of your loved ones, Dr. Erin McLaughlin and Dr. Pierre Paradis are here to help. If you live or work in Kanata and the surrounding area, contact us today or give us a call at (613) 831-9665.