Pain

Question 1

What is pain?

Answer 1

Pain is a sensation of marked discomfort, distress, or agony, causing physical or psychological misery.

Question 2

Why is pain useful?

Answer 2

The main function of pain is to serve as a signal that something is wrong with the body, to prevent further injury and to help with diagnosis.

Question 3

Explain how pain is subjective.

Answer 3

A persons experience of pain is quite subjective as it has both a sensory (how intense it is) an affective (how unpleasant the feeling is to you) component to it.

Question 4

State the 3 types of pain.

Answer 4

1. Acute pain
2. Chronic pain
3. Phantom Limb Pain

Question 5

Describe acute pain.

Answer 5

• Sudden, sharp pain.
• Lasts for less than 6 months.
• Usually in a specific location from an identifiable source that will go away once issue is resolved.
• Symptoms show at random but don’t last all day.

Question 6

Describe chronic pain.

Answer 6

• Pain that usually lasts longer than 6 months.
• Create long-term pain and exhaustion.
• Can affect their sleep and lifestyle.

Question 7

State and explain each type of chronic pain.

Answer 7

1. Chronic recurrent: comes in episodes.
2. Chronic intractable: constant pain which differs in severity.
3. Chronic progressive: constantly worsening.

Question 8

Describe phantom limb pain.

Answer 8

• Type of pain typically experienced by individuals who have lost a limb.
• Pain is perceived to be originating from the missing limb.
• Pain is psychological due to inaccurate brain signals.

Question 9

Explain the mirror treatment.

Answer 9

• An effective treatment for phantom limb pain.
• Uses a mirror to create the illusion of the amputated limb by placing the opposite limb in front of the mirror.
• Due to miscommunication in the brain, neurones send signals for movement to muscles from the amputated limb.
• When no signal returns it causes a conflict known as negative feedback.
• Mirror treatment tricks the brain into thinking the limb is moving.

Question 10

Explain MacLachlan’s case study.

Answer 10

• Testing the effectiveness of mirror treatment.
• 32 year old, Alan, who had a leg amputated due to a rare bacterial infection.
• Suffered PLP 5 weeks after his amputation.
• Referred to a clinical psychologist.
• By the end of his third week of mirror therapy, he reported a reduction in his PLP and his pain ratings dropped from 5-9 to 0.