Chronic Pain Flashcards
Pain =
unpleasant sensory
and emotional experience
associated with actual or
potential tissue damage
multiple system output
activated by the brain
based on perceived
threat
Pain Metaphors & Examples:
- Alarm System
- Overflowing cup
- Phantom pain
- Virtual reality CROM
Alarm System:
Pain is like an alarm system in your body
When something is wrong, the alarm goes off to alert you to potential damage or danger
Overflowing Cup:
Your body can handle a certain amount of stress, pain, or discomfort (like a cup being filled with water)
Once that cup overflows, you experience pain or a flare-up of symptoms
Phantom Pain:
Phantom pain is the sensation of pain in a part of the body that is no longer there, often experienced after limb amputation
It’s as if the brain has a “map” of the missing limb, and even though it’s gone, the brain still perceives signals from it
Virtual Reality CROM (Cervical Range of Motion):
Virtual reality (VR) is used to help distract or retrain the brain’s perception of pain by immersing someone in a different environment.
In the context of cervical range of motion (CROM), VR can be used to help guide neck movements while distracting from the discomfort
Chronic Primary Pain =
pain in 1 or more anatomic regions that persists or recurs for longer than 3 months
and is associated with significant emotional
distress or significant functional disability
(interference with activities of daily life and
participation in social roles)
and that cannot be better explained by another chronic pain condition
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
Formerly referred to as reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD)
Etiology unknown, likely multifactorial
* Local inflammatory cascades
* Direct small fiber nerve injury
* Dysfunction of sympathetic nervous system
* Central pain processing
* Emotional responses to painful stimuli
* Possible autoimmune process
* Genetic factors may be involved
CRPS
Signs/Symptoms
pain out of proportion to the inciting injury
movement disorder (weakness, spasms, dystonia, myoclonus, atrophy, decreased ROM)
insomnia, sleep disorder
neurogenic edema/swelling
changes in skin color
hyperemia
hyperesthesia
body temp asymmetry
symptoms spread to other limbs
visceral pain
hyperhidrosis
burning pain
tremor
nail changes
hair change
CRPS type I =
Occurs following trauma (fractures, surgery, sprains)
90% of cases
formerly known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy or RSD
Includes pain, swelling, and changes in skin color and temperature, often out of proportion to the initial injury
CRPS type II =
related to direct injury to a nerve
formerly known as Causalgia
less common, making up a smaller portion of CRPS cases
Similar to CRPS I but typically with more defined nerve-related symptoms like burning pain, often in the distribution of the injured nerve
CRPS Budapest Criteria
- Continuing pain, which is disproportionate to any inciting event
- Must report at least one symptom in three of the four following categories:
- Must display at least one sign at time of evaluation in two or more of the following categories:
- There is no other diagnosis that better explains the signs and symptoms
CRPS Budapest Criteria
symptoms: (need at least 1)
- Sensory: reports of hyperesthesia and/or allodynia
- Vasomotor: reports of temperature asymmetry and/or skin color changes and/or skin color asymmetry
- Sudomotor/edema: reports of edema and/or sweating changes and/or sweating asymmetry
- Motor/trophic: reports of decreased range of motion and/or motor dysfunction (weakness, tremor, dystonia)
and/or trophic changes (hair, nail, skin)
CRPS Budapest Criteria
signs: (need at least 2)
- Sensory: evidence of hyperalgesia (to pinprick) and/or allodynia (to light touch and/or deep somatic pressure
and/or joint movement) - Vasomotor: evidence of temperature asymmetry and/or skin color changes and/or asymmetry
- Sudomotor/edema: evidence of edema and/or sweating changes and/or sweating asymmetry
- Motor/trophic: evidence of decreased range of motion and/or motor dysfunction (weakness, tremor, dystonia)
and/or trophic changes (hair, nail, skin)
Allodynia Testing
Assessed by brushing the skin with a
cotton whisp, paint brush, or graded
stimuli (von Frey filaments/Semmes
Weinstein monofilaments)
Indicative of a central component to pain
CRPS: clinical recommendations
B-level evidence
evidence suggests that biphosphonates and a short course of oral corticosteroids significantly improve pain in patients with CRPS
expert guidelines and systematic review of small clinical trials
Chronic Widespread
Pain (CWP)
diffuse pain in at least 4 of 5 body regions
and is associated with significant emotional distress (anxiety, anger/frustration or depressed mood) or functional disability (interference in daily life activities and reduced participation in social roles)
a patient satisfies diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia if the following 3 conditions are met:
1) widespread pain index (WPI) >7 and symptom severity (SS) scale score >5 or WPI 3-6 and SS scale of >9
2) symptoms have been present at a similar level for at least 3 months
3) patient does not have a disorder that would otherwise explain the pain
FM Etiology
Unknown
Possibly a final common pathway leading from different pathophysiologic mechanisms:
* Central sensitization
- Sympathetic nervous system dysfunction
- Increase proinflammatory & decrease anti-inflammatory cytokine profiles
- Small fiber pathology
FM Treatment
Treatment should be individualized
Consider Associated Conditions
* Mental Health Problems
* Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions
* Other somatic disease
Consider disease severity
FM Guidelines
The European League Against Rheumatism
German: Management tailored to severity