B2 L23 Part 2 Neuropathic Pains Flashcards
What is neuropathic pain?
Pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system (Neuropathic pain is a clinical description and not a diagnosis.
What is central neuropathic pain?
with a lesion (e.g. imaging, neurophysiology, biopsies, lab tests) or disease (e.g. stroke or genetic abnormality) of the central somatosensory nervous system
What is peripheral neuropathic pain?
with a lesion/disease of the peripheral somatosensory nervous system.
Although commonly a cause of chronic symptoms, neuropathic pain can also present acutely following _____ and _____. The incidence has been conservatively estimated as 3% of acute pain patients and often it produces ______ symptoms.
trauma; surgery; persistent
What is nociplastic pain?
Pain that arises from altered nociception, despite no clear evidence of actual or threatened tissue damage causing theactivation of peripheral nociceptors or evidence for disease or lesion of the somatosensory system (includes central nervous system) causing the pain. Unknown lesion
Neuropathic pain can develop after injury to ______along ____ and ______ modulatory pathways in the central nervous system.
neurons; nociceptive; descending
Neuropathic pain also plays a part in other ______ disorders, with high comorbidity for ____ pain, sleep disorders, and psychological conditions such as depression. Drugs that _____ (are/are not) effective for one condition may benefit others.
neurobiological; chronic; are
Neuropathetic pain has a _____ (high/low) impact on person, _____ (high/low) cost to system and difficult to identify precise targets for intervention. Can be described as a disease process or a syndrome.
high; high
What is the main difference between nociceptive vs neuropathic/nociplastic pain?
- Nociceptive pain is expected
- Nociceptive pain (including inflammation as a stimulus, and originating from somatic or visceral regions) contributes important warning information, to drive change in behaviour to protect the affected region from further injury and for healing to occur
- Neuropathic / Nociplastic pain does not serve any useful biological function.
Nociceptive pain (including inflammation as a stimulus, and originating from somatic or visceral regions) contributes important _________, to drive change in behaviour to protect the affected region from further injury and for healing to occur
warning information
Neuropathic / Nociplastic pain does not serve any useful _____ function.
biological
What are 2 factors that non-neuropathetic pain is distinguished?
- There is no transduction (conversion of a nociceptive stimulus into an electrical impulse).
- Prognosis is poor: injury to major nerves is more likely than injury to non-nervous tissue to result in chronic pain.
Neuropathic pain tends to be refractory to conventional analgesics (non-responsive, persistent & moderate-high intensity) than non-neuropathic pain.
Neuropathic pain tends to be ____ to conventional analgesics (non-responsive, persistent & moderate-high intensity) than non-neuropathic pain.
refractory
The requirement for “nerve injury” in neuropathic pain is _____.
contentious i.e. elimination of other causes, and one of them is uncertain
How does neuropathic pain present in the patient interview/exam for mechanism of injury?
could be a clear mechanical stress to nervous system, or could be little or no threat to tissues.
With either mechanism, symptoms persist months or years beyond initial injury.
How does neuropathic pain present in the patient interview/exam for pain area?
may be discrete or general e.g. peripheral nerve path or body region
How does neuropathic pain present in the patient interview/exam for pain quality?
often described as stabbing, shooting, electric-shock or nerve-like pain. Input vs ouput perception suggests hyperalgesia or allodynia
How does neuropathic pain present in the patient interview/exam for neurological deficits?
- Sensory deficits or paresthesia
- e.g. tingling, pricking or pins & needles.
- Motor deficits may also be present.
How does neuropathic pain present in the patient interview/exam for autonomic signs?
changes in colour, temp, swelling, sweating observed in 30-50% of cases