What is Pain?
'''Pain''' is a [[symptom]] of being hurt or sick. It is a bad sensation that is physical ''and'' emotional. Most pain starts when part of the [[body]] is hurt. [[Nerve]]s in that part send messages through [[sensory system|senses]] to the [[brain]]. Those messages tell the brain that the body is being [[:wikt:damage|damaged]]. Pain is not just the message the nerve sends to the brain. It is the bad [[emotion]] felt because of that damage. The message that the nerve sends to the brain is called ''nociception''. What is experienced ''because of'' the nociception is pain. ==Kinds of pain== Pain can be ''acute'' or ''chronic''. Acute means it only happens a short time. [[Chronic]] means the pain lasts a long time. Pain can be from different types of [[injury]]: *''Cutaneous'' pain is from damage to the [[skin]]. This is the pain a person feels when their [[wrist]] is cut with a [[knife]]. *''Visceral'' pain is from damage to the [[Organ (anatomy)|organs]] inside the body – like the [[stomach]], [[kidney]], and [[heart]]. This is the pain a person feels when they have an [[peptic ulcer|ulcer]]. *''Somatic'' pain is from [[muscle]]s, [[bone]]s, and [[joint]]s. This is the pain a person feels when they sprain (twist) a joint like the [[ankle]]. Pain can also happen when there is no underlying injury or cause. Pain can happen just because the nerves do not work right. This is called ''neuropathic'' pain. ==Treatments for pain== For most pain, the best treatment is to stop the damage that makes the pain. If the ankle is sprained, [[Medical doctor|doctors]] tell the person not to walk on it. They tell them to put [[ice]] on it. This helps the injury stop. For an ulcer in the stomach, doctors stop the [[acid]] made in the stomach. This helps the ulcer to heal. But many kinds of pain also need medicines to feel better. There are many different kinds of medicines for pain: *NSAIDs ([[acronym]] for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug). These medicines decrease the [[inflammation]] where the person is hurt. They also w