Pain is something which is very difficult to be defined . It makes us uneasy. It has always astonished me how the text books have given a generalised definition to pain when it is a purely subjective phenomenon. In my words , pain is a subjective feeling which acts as a messenger to the derailment of homeostasis of the body. It makes the individual aware that there is something wrong in a particular part of the body and that part is taking some necessary steps to bring it back to normal. There again , pain in one part of the body is not always indicative of the problem there, for example the referred pain. Thus pain is very complex to be defined. It is very difficult to be measured and I have always wondered why the text books give generalised assessment scales . But there is one thing about pain, that is because it is so unpleasant and makes us uneasy, that it captures our attention and forces us to take remedial measures. If your body can be imagined as a car, then pain is the brake system. Without a brake the car cannot run smoothly. Also because of this brake , we know the feeling of the acceleration of happiness and well being. So let’s try to conclude that pain is the uneasy , irritable unavoidable sensation which makes us aware of a derailment from normalcy. Here again the challenge comes , as defining normalcy is difficult. So in the whole what we can say with much assurance is that the human body is complex. The changes and phenomena which occur in it are all interconnected and have reasons of their own which are far beyond the reach of human brain and often difficult to be defined in words
– Dr. Divya Godan Namboodri (PT)
