| Arthritis is a condition that is characterized by pain. | | | | hand before we were able to remove it. The pain |
| How does Arthritis cause pain, and why? | | | | remains to alert us to the injured tissue. After a short |
| To understand the answer to the question of how | | | | period of healing, the pain again is gone. Chronic pain is |
| does Arthritis cause pain, it is necessary to review the | | | | really the same thing. It also is alerting us that |
| purpose of pain. Pain is a function of the human | | | | something is wrong. The problem with chronic pain is |
| nervous system and it serves a definite purpose. | | | | that it does not go away. This is because the condition |
| When something is wrong and harm is being done to | | | | that brings it about does not really heal. |
| the body in most anyway, chemicals are produced at | | | | Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints of the body. It is |
| the site of the disturbance. These chemicals cause a | | | | a term that comes from two Greek roots that mean |
| signal to be sent through the nervous system to the | | | | joint and inflammation. There are over a hundred |
| brain. The brain translates this signal into the sensation | | | | different types of Arthritis and many different causes. |
| of pain. | | | | The inflammation may be the result of trauma to the |
| It is helpful to visualize pain as a sort of fire alarm. It is | | | | joint or it may simply be a result of age. Regardless of |
| ringing because there is a fire. It is not the alarm that is | | | | the cause, inflammation is not the natural condition of |
| the problem. Therefore, merely turning off the alarm | | | | the tissue surrounding the joint and the pain signal is |
| does not offer the best solution. This is the common | | | | produced. |
| wisdom behind pain. This is especially true of what is | | | | Most of the treatments for Arthritis deal with pain |
| called acute pain. Acute pain is directly related to a | | | | management only because there is so often nothing |
| short term problem. It flares up to alert us to the | | | | that can be done about the inflammation. This is |
| problem, and generally goes away shortly. If you place | | | | especially true when the cause is the natural |
| your hand on a hot stove, you will feel intense acute | | | | degeneration of the joints due to advanced age. The |
| pain at the point of contact. Thus warned of our | | | | body will contain to produce chemical pain signals |
| mistake, we quickly move our hand and the pain | | | | because we have no way to tell it we understand |
| ceases. | | | | there is a problem and we do not need any further |
| Now, in the example above, we may have burned our | | | | warnings. |