Practical advice for leading a more active life. What is pain? Pain is a universal experience. We all feel it, whether it's the sharp, stabbing pain of a twisted ankle of the deep, throbbing pain of a headache that won't quit. Pain knows no age limit - it affects us from infancy through old age. When pain persists beyond the time expected for an injury to heal or an illness to end, it can become a chronic condition. No longer is the pain viewed as just the ...