Pain Flashcards
what is the definition of pain?
pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of damage
pain duration:
acute: 6 months
what is nociceptive pain?
caused by stimulation of peripheral nerve fibers that respond only to stimuli approaching or exceeding harmful intensity (nociceptors)
what 3 modes of noxious stimulation is nociceptive pain classified by?
1- thermal
2- mechanical
3-chemical
nociceptive pain is divided into what 3 categories?
1-visceral (diffuse, difficult to locate and often referred)
2-deep somatic (dull, aching, poorly localized pain)
3-superficial somatic (sharp, well defined and clearly located)
what is neuropathic pain?
caused by damage or disease affecting any part of the nervous system involved in bodily feelings (somatosensory system)
often described as burning, tingling, electrical, stabbing or pins and needles.
bumping the “funny bone” elicits acute peripheral neuropathic pain
what is phantom pain?
a pain felt in part of the body that has been lost or from which the brain no longer receives signals
it is a type of neuropathic pain
what is psychogenic pain?
pain caused, increased, or prolonged by mental, emotional or behavioral factors
sufferers are often stigmatized because both medical professionals and the general public tend to think that pain from a psychological source is not “real”
mind believes they are in pain, are not faking
what is referred pain?
pain that occurs away from the pain site
nerve- to its area of innervation
dermatomal area
embryologic development
examples:
- heart: upper chest, L shoulder, jaw, arm
- diaphragm: lateral tip of either shoulder
- gallbladder- R shoulder, inferior angle of R scap
- Kerr’s sign: pain on tip of shoulder=ruptured spleen
- L5-S1- lateral leg and foot
what are the 2 types of referred pain?
1- myofascial pain
2- sclerotomic and dermatomic pain
myofascial pain:
trigger points, small hyper-irritable areas within a muscle in which nerve, impulses bombard CNS and are expressed at referred pain
sclerotomic & dermatomic pain:
sclerotome: area of bone/fascia that is supplied by a single nerve root
myotome: muscle supplied by a single nerve root
dermatome: area of skin supplied by a single nerve root
paresthesia=
abnormal spontaneous sensations
such as: burning, tingling, pins and needles
dysesthesia=
any unpleasant sensation produced by a stimulus that is usually painless
anesthesia=
complete loss of sensation
usually discriminative sensation
hypesthesia=
partial loss of touch and pressure sensations
hyperesthesia=
increase sensitivity to touch and pressure sensations
analgesia=
complete loss of pain and temperature sensations
hypalgesia=
partial loss of pain and temp sensations
hyperalgesia=
increase sensitivity to pain sensations