People who suffer from chronic pain know that it’s not the same type of pain caused by a sprain in the lower back. In fact, there are 4 categories of pain:

1.         Nociceptive pain: Though it can be severe, this pain does not last long. Scraping your knee on the sidewalk is an example of nociceptive pain.

2.         Inflammatory pain: This pain occurs as a response to an injury or infection.

3.         Neuropathic pain: This pain involves your nerves, and it causes sensations like burning, stinging, electric-like pain, and weakness. It tends to “travel”—it can feel like it’s moving from your neck down to your fingers, for example. This pain is also called radiculopathy.

4.         Chronic pain, or central sensitization: If pain persists once an injury or infection has healed, you may suffer from chronic pain or central sensitization. Central sensitization is a condition in which even mild injury can lead to a hyperactive and persistent response from the CNS. The CNS (central nervous system) consists of the spinal cord and the brain.