Chronic pain comes in many forms, affecting different areas of the body and originating from various sources. One common type is nociceptive pain, which is detected by nociceptors – a specialized type of sensory nerve. Conditions that cause nociceptive pain include headaches, pelvic pain, arthritis, and fibromyalgia. Nociceptive pain can be further broken down into visceral and somatic pain. Let’s take a quick look at the differences between the two.
Visceral Pain
Visceral pain is picked up by nociceptors in your internal organs. The sensory nerves are not very widespread in your organs, which means you may feel pain further away from its origin, and it tends to be difficult to locate. Visceral pain can be caused by conditions like endometriosis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), cystitis, and prostate pain.
Somatic Pain
Somatic pain is signaled by nociceptors in your soft tissues, muscles, and skin. Sensory nerves are very well distributed in these areas, so it usually easy to detect the source. Tension headaches, pain from joint instability, arthritis, and back pain not caused by nerves are all examples of somatic pain.
Visit Florida Coast Pain for chronic pain treatment in Jacksonville, FL, to receive personalized, compassionate treatment from our skilled physicians.
