The Scourge

Pain is often considered to be a scourge for mankind, yet it has its functions. Through painful lessons we learn how to protect our fragile bodies and what to avoid. The discomfort and the torment teach us to avoid danger and to allow our bodies to rest and heal when necessary.

Some people have a rare genetic affliction which does not allow them to feel pain. These people get injured often and some of them die quite young because of wounds that get infected without them noticing. So, pain does have its use. This knowledge, however, provides little to no comfort when dealing with chronic pain.

Chronic Pain

Chronic or long-term complaints, such as back pain, arthritis and nerve damage are more common than one might think. According to some studies, about 10 to 20% of all adults in the Western world suffers from some form of chronic pain.

Especially back pain is fairly widespread, and relatively hard to treat, since a a physical cause is not always easy to find. Painkillers such as codeine and morphine, which block pain signals in the brain, might alleviate the pain, but success is not guaranteed. A lot of substances that are currently prescribed for back pain perform no better than placebo’s.

Side-effects and the Brain

On top of this, several pain killers have less than pleasant side-effects. So, the search for new and effective ways to deal with pain is still ongoing. A relatively new and powerful tool in this quest are brain scans, as they have the capability to shed light on the neurological and psychological processes that influence how we feel and experience pain.

These brain scans have shown that we have an innate capacity to deal with pain. For example, consider the soldier who gets injured but only notices this when he returns to base. Or, how that annoying toothache is pushed to the background when being completely immersed in a good book. Of course, this capacity to suppress pain is limited. Nevertheless, understanding which brain processes underlie these experiences might lead to new and effective ways in dealing with pain.

References

• Apkarian, A.V.; Bushnell, M.C.; Treede, R.-D. & Zubieta, J.-K. (2005). Human brain mechanisms of pain perception and regulation in health and disease. European Journal of Pain. 9(4), pp. 463 – 484.
• Apkarian, A.V.; Baliki, M.N. & Geha, P.Y. (2009). Towards a theory of chronic pain. Progress in Neurobiology. 87(2), pp. 81 – 97.
• Bouhassira, D.; Lantéri-Minet, M.; Attal, N.; Laurent, B. & Touboul, C. (2008). Prevalence of chronic pain with neuropathic characteristics in the general population. Pain. 136(3), pp. 380 – 387.