How to treat pain correctly

To properly treat the pain, it is necessary to go to the doctor and describe the pain accurately, referring to the region of the body where the pain is strongest, saying if it is of the coin or pinch type, for example, informing about its frequency and, if there is something that leads to its aggravation, such as lifting the leg or exercising, for example.

Only in this way, the doctor is able to make the correct diagnosis and indicate the most appropriate treatment, which usually included the use of medicines, such as Paracetamol, natural treatments such as massages, application of ice or heat in the place of pain or even rest.

Pain can manifest itself acutely, when it is associated with the removal of a tooth or menstrual colic, or chronic when it remains for more than 3 months and is associated, for example, with rheumatoid arthritis, gout or some type of cancer.

How to relieve pain

Depending on the type of pain, its treatment usually involves the use of medications recommended by the doctor, such as:

Analgesics: which help to reduce pain, such as Paracetamol or Aspirin; Anti-inflammatories: to relieve inflammation, which usually causes pain, such as Nimesulide and Ibuprofen; Muscle relaxants: mainly for muscle pain, like Baclofen or Tizanidina.

Apply hot water bag

Do massage

Ice

In addition, other ways to reduce pain can be by doing acupuncture or a massage, in addition to using hot or cold compresses or applying ice on the spot, depending on the type of pain and the region where it occurs.

What to tell the doctor when you have pain

When you go to the doctor, you need to describe the pain accurately so that the doctor can make a correct diagnosis. Thus, it should be noted:

1. The exact location of the pain

For the doctor to be able to make the correct diagnosis and indicate the appropriate treatment it is important to inform the region of the body where the pain is strongest, for example, finger, leg or belly.

However, when referring to the region, it should be as specific as possible, informing if it is on the right or left side of the belly or back or if it is in the middle or at the fingertip, for example.

In addition, when it is not possible to say the specific location, one can refer to other places on the body as a reference, for example, pain in the belly around the navel, pain in the head near the eyebrow, pain in the leg near the knee.

2. Types of pain

The patient who feels pain, in addition to mentioning the place where he / she has pain, should describe it referring if it is of the type:

Coinage: it is usually weak, but constant pain; Hooked: it is a strong pain that appears quickly, and that also disappears quickly; Tingling: feeling of numbness in the place, as if balls are present in the affected place; Sting: it is a thin and localized pain, similar to taking a vaccine; Colic: it is a quick and very severe pain, which usually occurs in the belly; Throbbing: it is a constant pain, which pulsates and is usually associated with infection at the site; Tightness: it is the feeling of suffocation and, most of the time it is felt in the chest.

In some cases, in addition to the pain, itching and burning may occur, and sometimes the pain spreads and radiates to another part of the body.

3. Intensity of pain

To assess the intensity of pain, it is advisable to use a scale that helps the patient to refer to the degree of their pain, such as the numerical scale or the facial expression scale.

However, it is important to always use the same scale so that it is possible to compare the intensity of pain and, for this, it is necessary to register the evaluation, such as "grade 3 pain at 3 pm", for example.

4. Frequency of pain

The frequency of the pain is related to the fact that it is constant pain or pain that appears sometimes.

In addition, it is important to inform the doctor about what worsens or helps relieve pain, for example, the pain can be more intense when exercising and can relieve when lying down.

Example of how to describe pain

When the patient goes to the doctor, they should say, for example: "I have pain in the lower jaw tooth for 2 days, which is constant and like a coin and it gets worse when I'm eating" or "My chest has been hurting for 3 hours constantly, I feel like it’s a squeeze, radiating to the left arm ".

The following is a table that tells you how to correctly describe the pain and help the doctor diagnose the problem.

What to tell the doctor	Examples
Body region	Leg, arm, belly, head
Type of pain	Coin, hooked, tightening
Pain intensity	Use scale and compare every 2 hours
Pain frequency	Constant, sporadic, which worsens pain, which improves pain
Duration	3 days, 1 week…