Pain Flashcards
What type of fibers transmit pain signals that are sharp and localized?
A delta fibers
What type of fibers transmit pain signals that are dull, achy, and diffused?
C fibers
Explain the gate control theory.
Helps to explain how other stimuli can decrease the sensation of pain by synapsing with A-alpha and A beta fibers to inhibit pain signals to the brain
List 2 interventions that inhibit pain through the gate control theory.
Electric stimulation
Massage
How do endogenous opioids (endorphins) regulate pain?
Bind to opioid receptors and control the amount of calcium and potassium moving in and out of the cell during depolarization, which results in inhibition of pain
List three outcome measures used to assess pain.
McGill Pain Questionnaire
Numeric Rating Scale
Visual Analogue Scale
What is viscerogenic pain?
Pain that results from a pathology of an internal organ, which can refer to site distant from the organ and mimic common patterns of musculoskeletal pain
What are common sites of referred pain that may indicate myocardial infarction? (6)
Left side of the body/chest Midback Shoulder Arm Neck Jaw
What is Kehr’s sign?
Pressure to the upper abdomen or supine positioning results in left shoulder pain
Why?: Likely that the spleen has ruptured or there is blood in the abdominal cavity which irritates the diaphragm (C3-C5) and refers pain to the L shoulder
Where do gallstones refer pain to? (3)
Right upper abdomen
Interscapular region
**If an inflamed gallbladder leads to irritation of the diaphragm, pain can refer to the right shoulder
What is McBurney’s sign indicative of?
Acute appendicitis with tenderness to R lower quadrant
What are the possible referred pain sites for liver pathology?
Midback
Right upper quadrant
Right shoulder
