Pain Flashcards
What are the dimensions of pain?
- Sensory
- Negative emotions
- Social
- Environmental
What mechanisms are involved in pain perception?
the peripheral and central mechanisms
Is pain an inactive process?
NO, its active
How is the pain experienced? (steps of process)
- Transmission of the signal (to brain nociceptors)
- Perception of an unpleasant experience
- Behavioral or cognitive response to pain
What are nociceptors?
terminal endings of primary afferent fibres
What are two main types of nociceptor?
- Myelinated A-delta fibers
2. Non-myelinated C-fibres
Where do nociceptors synapse?
at the dorsal horn of the spinal cord (both types)
What are the four processes in the pain pathway?
- Transduction
- Transmission
- Modulation
- Perception
What happened during the transduction phase of the pain pathway?
noxious stimuli translated into electrical activity at the sensory nerve endings
What happened during the Transmission phase of the pain pathway?
propagation of impulses in the nervous system
What happened during the Modulation phase of the pain pathway?
amplification or suppression of nerve signals in the spinal cord
What happened during the Perception phase of the pain pathway?
Integration, processing and recognition of nerve signals in the brain
What are two types of pain?
Acute and chronic
How do we recognize pain?
Subjectively and Objectively
What is involved in the subjective recognition of pain?
- appearance
- posture/gait
- demeanour
What is involved in the objective recognition of pain?
- activity
- food and water intake
- respiratory and heart rate
- blood pressure
What are some postures that indicate pain in horses?
- standing with head down
- standing on 3 legs
- rolling on ground
- recumbency in severe pain
- tucked abdomen
- arched back
- abnormal position of hooves and legs
- drooped ears
What are some temperaments that indicate pain in horses?
- aggressive
- kicking
- striking
- biting
- not cooperative
- fighting
- defeated
- docile
- escaping
What are some vocalizations that indicate pain in horses?
- quiet
- grunting
- moaning
What are some types of locomotion that indicate pain in horses?
- lameness
- reduced speed
- abnormal gait
- non-weight bearing
- reluctance to move
- walks on toes or hocks
What are some other indicators of pain in horses?
- self trauma
- significant reduction in performance
- dull eyes
What are some limitations of traditional pain assessment?
- little evidence of how these relate to pain intensity
- requires detailed species knowledge
- requires a baseline for species/individual
- observers may vary in their interpretation
What are the underlying principles of behavioral assessments?
- pain causes certain behaviors to occur more or less frequently
- analgesics should then reduce those behaviors that increase (if pain specific) and increase those that decrease (eg: activity)
