Pain is a signal that something is not quite right, and is one of the main reasons a person will seek out the attention of a doctor. Pain is also elusive. Although pain is elusive and subjective, it is still very real. If left untreated, or inadequately treated, pain can overwhelm and consume a person's life. Instead of being a signal to a problem, pain becomes the problem.
Various factors influence the pain a person feels when injured, sick or recovering from surgery.
Different people have different thresholds of pain. A headache that sends one person to the medicine cabinet for aspirin may not bother another person. If an adolescent complains of a headache, and the parents' ask if she took something for it, she will more than likely take pain medication before complaining next time. Cultural values also play a part in pain response. Pain is not inevitable and can be treated.