Chapter 9: Pain Flashcards
nociception
technical name for pain, the activation of specialized nerve fibers that signal the occurrence of tissue damage
acute
short term
chronic
long term
psychogenic pain
purely psychological pain without a physiological pain
neuropathic pain
pure nociception without significant psychological pain
somatic pain
physiological pain without specific tissue damage
afferent fibers
sensory nerve fibers transmitting signals from the receptors to the spinal cord
diathesis-stress model
idea that some individuals may have some physiological predispositions to certain factor such as depression, stress or pain that interact with psychosocial factors to cause those outcomes
counterirritation
process by which we may try to reduce pain by itching or poking a point on our skin around where the pain is felt
efferent pathways
sensory nerve fibers transmitting signals from the spinal cord to receptors in the skin and tissues
stimulation-produced analgesia
process by which electrically stimulating the brain can reduce pain
thresholds
level of stimuli needed to experience something such as pain or stress
tolerance
amount beyond which pain becomes unbearable and intolerable
acetaminophen (Tylenol)
a simple over the counter pain killer
virtual reality
a pain control technique whereby the patient is distracted enough to experience alleviation from pain and discomfort
self-management programs
treatment for pain relief that make the patient with chronic pain the one with the major responsibility for making the change rather than the doctor or the health professional staff
numeric rating scale (NRS)
a scale of measuring pain where patients are ask to rate their pain on a scale of 1 to 10
verbal rating scale (VRS)
pain measurement scale with 4 to 15 adjectives arranged in a row describing the pain; patient must choose the most relevant one
visual analogy scale (VAS)
a 10 cm long line represents the scale, patients are asked to mark where their pain is
