[Health Column] Fire Alarm of My Body, Pain

Director Park Yong-seok

[Asia Economy] #A middle-aged man visited the clinic a few days ago complaining of chest tightness. Although there was no pain when pressing on any specific area, the pain worsened with movement. He was advised to visit a large hospital. He was diagnosed with ischemic heart disease and discharged after undergoing coronary angiography and stent placement. He is currently doing well without chest pain even during exercise.

#A woman in her 50s visited the clinic complaining of a burning sensation whenever a specific skin area on her finger was touched, which had been ongoing for a year. There were no signs of wounds or infection, but neuropathic symptoms such as allodynia were observed. After three nerve treatments, the pain disappeared, and since there were no other abnormalities, the treatment was concluded.

Just as every building has an alarm to warn of fire, our bodies also have alarms that signal danger. That alarm is 'pain.' Pain alerts us to abnormal areas in the body so that we can take prompt action.

However, sometimes the alarm malfunctions. It goes off repeatedly even when there is no fire. An alarm that fails to perform its role, like the boy who cried wolf, must be repaired quickly to protect our lives and property. Let’s learn about cases of malfunctioning pain alarms through the two examples above.

There are two types of pain in our bodies: good pain and bad pain.

The chest pain in the first case is an example of good pain where the body’s alarm performed its role properly. It quickly alerted to a heart risk, allowing for appropriate treatment. Most acute pain serves as a warning and is considered good pain.

However, neuropathic pain, like in the second patient, which causes normal touch sensations to feel painful, is a malfunctioning alarm?bad pain. When pain starts in the body, the cause is sought. But if pain persists without any specific cause, it can be considered a broken alarm. A broken alarm must be fixed. Simply repairing it can restore bodily peace and improve quality of life, which is true for most chronic pain.

While patience is often a virtue in life, this is not the case with chronic pain. Enduring chronic pain because it is bearable can lead to uncontrollable situations. Initially, only muscles tense up, but then surrounding nerves get compressed, followed by all related muscles tightening. Ligaments loosen, and even joints get damaged. Chronic pain spreads over time and changes the nerves themselves, altering pain transmission pathways, making treatment difficult if delayed. Chronic pain itself is a condition that requires prompt treatment.

If pain arises in the body, it should be seen as the alarm going off. At that time, patients need not waste time worrying whether the pain is good or bad. Just as a fire expert is consulted to check an alarm’s malfunction, a pain specialist should be consulted to assess the pain. A pain specialist can distinguish between good and bad pain; if it is good pain, they will listen carefully to the patient’s complaints, and if it is bad pain, they will treat the pain itself to improve quality of life.

Park Yongseok, Director of Haengbok Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Clinic

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This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.