Pain and its management Flashcards
What is pain?
Unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, caused by cytokines
Effects of pain
- Danger alert - withdrawal
- Protection - rest injury
- Prevention - learning to avoid injury again
- Suffering
- Impaired function (motor, respiratory, CVS)
Pain pathway
- Pain recognition
- Peripheral conduction
- Spinal processing
- Ascending transmission
- Relay to cortex
- Motor homunculus
- Sensory homunculus detects where pain occurs
What are nociceptors?
- Nociceptors are bare nerve endings, most in skin but some are dormant or in deeper tissues (which are activated by injury)
- Respond to several stimuli (e.g. mechanical/thermal/chemical)
- Sensitized by inflammatory mediators (bradykinin, histamine, prostaglandins)
- Limiting prostaglandins limits pain
What are the two responses to pain?
Fast and slow
Characteristics of fast response to pain
A delta fibres
Large and myelinated
Up to 10m/sec
Sharp, stabbing pain
Characteristics of slow response to pain
C fibres
Small, unmyelinated
1.2 m/sec
Aching, burning
Is the spinal transmission of pain contralateral or ipsilateral?
Contralateral
Is a withdrawal reflex contralateral or ipsilateral?
Ipsilateral
Pathway of visceral pain
Autonomic nerves
What is referred pain?
Pain in one area of the body is felt in another
What is neuropathic pain?
Results from nerve damage e.g. trauma/infection (e.g. Herpes zoster virus)
Difficult to treat
Often becomes chronic
Where is local anaesthetic administered?
Site of injury
What are local anaesthetics?
Bases - proton acceptors
Is lidocaine short or long lasting?
Short
Is bupivacaine short or long lasting?
Long