Module 2.1 (Introduction to Pain)

Question 1

Acute Pain

Answer 1

Result of trauma, surgery, disease process

Treat cause and provide rapid, effective analgesia to enable physical and emotional functioning

Watch for yellow and red flags

Question 2

Chronic Pain

Answer 2

>3-6mths

Associated with sleep disturbance, depression, lethargy

Cancer pain

Neuropathic pain

Chronic non-cancer pain

• Pain beyond tissue healing – disease in its own right
• Aim to manage living with pain, address functional impairment, depression and psychosocial issues and increase QOL

Acute can –> chronic

• Central sensitisation, neuropathy, chronic inflammation
• Risk factors for acute to chronic pain (yellow flags)

Question 3

Types of Pain

Answer 3

Nociceptive

• Stimulation of pain receptors
• Somatic and visceral pain

Neuropathic

• Damage to nervous system
• Peripheral, central nervous system or both

Nociplastic

• Altered or abnormal function of the nociceptive pathways or cerebral cortex in the absence of a nociceptive stimulus or neuropathic lesion​
• Allodynia, hyperalgesia

Question 4

Pain assessment

Answer 4

Comprehensive assessment is the basis for management

Cause

Nature and severity (pain scales)

Effect of pain on patient

P – Place or site of pain

A – Aggravating factors

I – Intensity

N – Nature and neutralising factors