Pain Flashcards
1
Q
What is acute pain?
A
- intense, but time limited
- result of tissue damage or disease
2
Q
What is chronic pain?
A
- often begins as acute pain
- does not dissipate after a minimum of six months
3
Q
What are the three subcategories of chronic pain?
A
- recurrent acute
- intractable-benign
- progressive
4
Q
How do we perceive pain?
A
mediated by nociceptors
5
Q
What are the three theories to explain how we perceive pain?
A
specificity theory
pattern theory
gate control theory
6
Q
What does the specificity theory propose?
A
- separate sensory system for perceiving pain
- specific sensory receptors
- specific peripheral nerves and pathway to the brain
7
Q
What does the pattern theory propose?
A
- no separate system for perceiving pain
- pain results from the pattern or type of stimulation received by the nerve endings
8
Q
What does the gate control theory propose?
A
- nerve endings in damaged area transmit impulses to the spinal cord
- neural gate opens to let pain signal through and closes to reduce the pain experience
9
Q
How can pain be assessed?
A
- physiological
- self-report
- behavioural assessment
10
Q
What are psychological factors influencing the experience of pain?
A
- individual variation
- many pain complaints have no physical basis
- cognition
11
Q
What are pain management strategies?
A
- physical methods
- psychological methods
- relaxation
- distraction
