Pain is a complex topic as it is subjective and dependent on the individual pain threshold. However, one thing is hard to argue with - pain is never pleasant (unless, of course, you are a masochist). It is difficult to ignore it, it affects not only the physical condition, but also the psyche, making a person irritable and nervous.
When you are experiencing certain health problems, it can be frustrating to feel that others do not understand how much you are in pain. Well, if your fortune goes into top 20 types of the most severe painthat a person can withstand, then you certainly do not exaggerate the extent of your suffering. The list was compiled by specialists from the English National Health Service (NHS). All diseases in it are ranked in no particular order.
20. Endometriosis
It is a condition that statistically affects one in 10 women worldwide. Endometriosis occurs when the tissue that lines the uterus (called the endometrium) grows and spreads beyond it. Under favorable conditions, endometriosis can occur outside the reproductive system, for example, in the navel.
The most unpleasant symptoms include pelvic pain, pain during menstruation, and pain during and after sex.
19. Cluster headaches
This specific type of headache occurs on one side of the head, usually around the eyes. The NHS considers the pain "very severe" and we will add that the condition is sometimes referred to as "suicide headaches." Because people suffering from cluster headaches are even ready to give up their lives in order to get rid of unbearable torment.
18. Capsulitis
The disease, which is also called "frozen shoulder" occurs when a joint becomes so tight and stiff that it is almost impossible for them to perform basic movements, such as raising an arm. Capsulitis is common in people with diabetes.
17. Broken bones
With a bone fracture, unbearable pain is not always felt, and even external manifestations of trauma, such as severe edema, are not always present. However, most often a bone fracture is accompanied by such discomfort that the victims literally howl and writhe from it.
Broken bone can heal, but the older you are and the larger the bone, the longer it will take to heal.
16. Shingles
One type of herpes appears as a rash or blisters that follow the course of the nerves. It causes intense burning or itching sensations, as well as pain even with a light touch. Interestingly, because of herpes zoster, the patient may suffer from back pain, which, it would seem, has no direct connection with the disease.
15. Fibromyalgia
It is a long-term condition that causes pain throughout the body. It affects women more often than men.Fibromyalgia is difficult to diagnose because the affected bones, joints, muscles, and ligaments are usually not damaged, but simply dysfunctional. Lady Gaga suffers from fibromyalgia and talks a lot about what it's like to live with her.
14. Migraine
Those who have experienced a migraine at least once will never forget this terrible sensation of throbbing pain on one side of the head, nausea and sensitivity to light. For migraines, conventional pain medications do not always help and popular sedatives... All that remains is lying in a dark, quiet place, waiting until the attack passes.
13. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
It is characterized by severe and prolonged pain that can occur after a bone fracture, burn, or cut. The pain, as described by the NHS, is "constant and intense" and often "completely out of proportion to the severity of the original injury."
12. Displacement of intervertebral discs
Intervertebral discs are flat, circular "spacers" located between the vertebrae. They prevent the vertebrae from rubbing against each other. In the center of each such disc there is a gelatinous mass - the nucleus pulposus - which is surrounded by a dense annulus fibrosus.
Displacement of the intervertebral discs is a common cause of back problems, such as pain when moving, playing sports and even coughing.
11. Heart attack
This life-threatening condition is usually accompanied by pain in the center of the chest that can be felt as heaviness, tightness, or squeezing. For some people, pain spreads to the jaw, neck, back, arms, or stomach. In some less common cases, people with diabetes may experience a heart attack without actually feeling pain due to damaged nerve endings as a result of their illness.
10. Sciatica
Unbearable aching pain that runs down the leg and occurs when the sciatic nerve (the longest in the body) has been pinched or damaged by a back injury. Sciatica patients generally do not experience severe back pain, but instead feel it in the lower back (and lower back) and in the legs, down to the calf.
9. Sickle cell anemia
An inherited disease transmitted from parents to children causes a “pain crisis” localized in the bones and joints. Outbreaks of pain can last for several weeks and sometimes last up to 7 days in a row.
8. Appendicitis
No one thinks about the small appendage of the cecum - the appendix - until he makes himself known. Inflammation of the appendix is called appendicitis and can only be treated with surgery.
Appendicitis pain usually begins in the center of the stomach and then moves to the lower right side of the abdomen where it intensifies. It is one of the most severe types of pain for humans. It is possible for mammals who also have an appendix, but they will not tell about it.
It is curious that earlier the appendix was considered a completely useless rudiment that we inherited from our ancestors. However, modern doctors have found that this appendix is still useful to the body, it participates in the formation of intestinal microflora, as well as in endocrine and immune processes. But how is not yet clear.
7. Kidney stones
Until a kidney stone is released from the ureter, it will cause severe cramping pain in the lower abdomen or lower back. Some have compared this sensation to "cutting off the frenum of the phallus with a blunt knife."
6. Arthritis
The disease develops mainly in the elderly and causes persistent joint pain - usually in the knees, hip, and hand joints. The pain does not subside even at night, moreover, it intensifies, since during the day the joints “warm up” from movement and hurt less.
5. Acute pancreatitis
When the pancreas is damaged by inflammation and stops working properly, the condition is called acute pancreatitis. Patients experience a dull aching pain in the abdomen, which is worse after eating fatty foods.
4. Gout
The disease occurs when uric acid levels are high, often as a result of certain foods. With gout, there is pain in the joints, usually at the base of the big toe.
3. Stomach ulcer
In this disease, a defect forms in the stomach lining, causing burning pain in the abdomen, usually between meals.
2. Pain after surgery
The operation is an invasive invasion of the body, so it is not surprising that severe pain occurs. Although its location and intensity vary depending on the type of surgery. But the NHS reminds patients that “too much pain after surgery is not good,” and should not be heroically endured. The best way out is to seek medical help.
1. Neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve
Topping the ranking of the most severe pain in humans is a condition also called Fothergill's disease, characterized by sudden, severe, shooting facial pain. Although painful attacks usually do not last long - from a few seconds to two minutes - they can occur up to a hundred times a day. According to Stanford University anesthesiologist David Yeomans, patients consider trigeminal neuralgia to be the worst kind of pain ever. Some people even stop brushing their teeth due to the fact that this simple procedure causes pain, comparable, according to sufferers, to a lightning strike in a part of the face.
Opinions of other doctors on pain rating
Not all doctors agree on which pain is most severe, according to the NHS. Gary Leroy, a family doctor in Dayton, Ohio, told The Independent that the pain in the ranking is indeed very serious and common. However, Leroy advised adding two other conditions to the list - back pain as "the most common thing we see in primary care practice" and "toothache."
"Chronic low back pain affects 80 percent of the world's population at some point in their lives," he said. Toothaches are also common and can be extremely painful, especially if the nerve is damaged.
It is also surprising that the NHS does not include the pain women experience in childbirth. It is unlikely that their sensations are less intense and unpleasant than when a stone comes out of a kidney or a stomach ulcer.