Page 25 - Oct Nov 2017

Teaching Children to Deal with Pain

a parent gets hysterical body part, just like the boy have no way to articu-
or faints upon seeing an in the example at the be- late what they are feeling
injury, the child is apt to ginning of this article. (other than by crying) and

think her injury is very In addition to these exter- do not know mechanisms-
serious, and possibly even nal factors, the intensity of -internally and externally-
P

O life threatening. our pain is also based on -to shut down the pain as
internal factors. Kuttner
L Likewise, if injury is seen writes, “When the body older children and adults
do. So it is important for
I as a positive occurrence, experiences an injury, us, as parents, to watch
C
E then the pain will be less nerve impulses at the site our children closely to
severe. Boston surgeon of the injury send a mes- pick up the nonverbal
H. Beecher studied this sage to the brain. The clues on how they feel.
B phenomenon during World nerve impulses alone are Classifications of Pain

R War II. Soldiers, who were not the pain; only when Three main types of pain
U
T injured in battle with inju- they reach the brain are exist for people of all

A ries similar to their civil- they defined, felt and ex- ages: acute pain, chronic
L ian counterparts, required perienced as ‘pain’.” pain and recurrent pain.
These pain types vary in
less pain medication. To
I the soldiers, a wound Your child, based on a cause, longevity and in-
T
Y meant a ticket home, so past negative experience tensity.
the pain they were feel- with a needle, may inter-
ings was positive. pret the shot about to be Acute pain is usually im-
administered not only as mediate and lasts for a

In other examples of how a physical discomfort but short duration of time,
cultural norms affect in- also as a huge threat. Be- usually less than two

tensity of pain, if a boy cause of these feelings, weeks. This type of pain
has been taught by society she may feel more pain is often caused by an in-
that crying is bad and that from that needle pierce jury, a short-term illness

“boys don’t cry and only than her friends would. or a surgical or medical
sissies get hurt,” he is apt Recently, researchers in procedure. Acute pain can

to “tough it out” and say England suggested that be treated with analgesics,
that nothing is wrong, newborns may have more including over the counter
even if he has a serious of the chemicals in their and prescription medica-

injury. With this attitude, spinal cords that cause the tions. It can also be eased
he may end up doing fur- experience of pain than with nonpharmacologic

ther damage to the injured adults do. But, infants means such as hypnosis

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