Inflammation? What is it? How can you tell if you have it? These are some common questions you might be asking yourself, especially if you’re suffering from pain on a regular basis. But, what you might not know is that there are many different types of inflammation that are caused by different things, which can make treating it more difficult.

Inflammation is a tissue response to harmful stimuli, such as bacterial invasion. It is a normal response meant to protect the body from further damage. However, an excessive amount of inflammation can have devastating effects on the body.

There are different types of inflammation. What are they?

Acute Inflammation

This type of inflammation is usually caused by injuries or an illness. It can happen quickly and can be severe. If you have cut yourself, then that’s an example of inflammation in action. 

If your inflammation is the cause of an injury, you will experience symptoms such as redness, pain and tenderness, swelling, bumps, warmth at the site, bruising, stiffness, and loss of mobility. 

Acute inflammation can last for a few days or months, depending on the cause and severity. It is sometimes localized to an area and can be systemic, similar to a viral infection. 

Now, when an illness causes inflammation, your body will initiate an immune response that will make you experience fever, nausea, sleepiness, lethargy, runny nose, sore throat, stuffy nose, and headache. 

If you have acute inflammation, your doctor may recommend Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) to address short-term inflammation. You can usually get most of them over-the-counter. 

Corticosteroids can also be recommended to treat swelling and inflammation. This type of treatment is only prescribed for short periods because it can have serious side effects. 

Topical medications may also help, such as analgesics and steroids. This type of medication can also be helpful in long-term inflammation. 

Chronic Inflammation

This is a long-term inflammation, which means it can last for a long time. In some cases, it can last an entire lifetime. Chronic inflammation usually starts with no injury or illness present, and it lasts longer. It is still unknown why this happens, but it can cause significant changes to your body’s tissues, cells, and organs. 

Chronic inflammation is also linked to various severe conditions, and the strongest links are type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Other conditions linked to chronic inflammation are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, kidney disease, some types of cancer, depression, osteoporosis, neurodegenerative disorders, and fatty liver. 

The thing about this type of inflammation is that it progresses quietly—most of the time, you won’t know it’s happening in the background, which is why it’s dangerous. On the other hand, there are some that present themselves through independent symptoms. 

You can prevent chronic inflammation by making lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, eating a healthy diet, quitting bad habits, and many more. 

On the other hand, treatments for chronic inflammation will depend on the specific disease and the severity of symptoms. 

Address Inflammation Today

Although inflammation can be good for the body, it needs to be addressed. Use this information to know more about it and what to do when it happens to you. 

Do you have chronic inflammation? Hello Meg Parker is a skilled massage therapist and intentional health coach that will work with you to help you achieve optimum health. Contact us today to get started!