Chronic Pain Flashcards
Chronic pain
Has become a major concern in the United States due to its impact on people’s productivity, use of pain medications, and the cost of healthcare associated with pain-related medical needs.
What percentage of people experience chronic pain?
It’s estimated that up to 20% of people experience chronic pain.
As occupational therapists, we have a responsibility to…
-Address the needs of our clients through nonpharmacological approaches to pain management, and also to help clients adapt to living with and managing chronic pain symptoms.
Pain
Described as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage
Acute Pain
Associated with actual tissue damage
Chronic Pain
- Pain that persists beyond the normal timeline for tissue healing
- Often associated with anxiety and depression
Pain Assessment
Documenting baseline pain and performance level can be crucial to show a client that their pain as improved over time.
- Edema measurements
- Observation
- Sensory testing
- Pain assessment
- Range of motion, strength, fine motor testing
Nociceptive Pain (Pain Types)
- Pain associated with actual or potential tissue damage
- Nociceptors are specialized receptors that respond only to noxious stimuli
Neuropathic Pain (Pain Types)
Pain associated with damage to the central or peripheral nervous system
Pain Pathway
Transduction (Nociceptors)> Transmission (A-delta or C fibers)> Transmission (Spinothalamic Tracts)> Perception and Modulation (Brainstem, thalamus, and somatosensory cortex)
Allodynia (Pain Definitions)
Pain from a stimulus that is not usually painful
Hyperalgesia (Pain Definitions)
Increase pain from a stimuli that normally causes pain
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
A clinical syndrome characterized by pain that disproportional relative to the client’s injury
Associated symptoms of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome include…
-Edema
-Stiffness
-Vasomotor
-Sudomotor
-Trophic changes.
Type I
Type II
