pain and pain management

Question 1

a beta fibers

Answer 1

large myelinated nerve fibers with receptors located in the skin, bones, and joints that transmit sensation related to vibration, stretching of skin and mechanoreception, when fibers can contribute to the sensation of pain

Question 2

acute pain

Answer 2

an expected physiologic experience to noxious stimuli that can become pathologic, is normally sudden in onset, time limited, and motivates behaviors to avoid actual or potential tissue injuries

Question 3

a delta fibers

Answer 3

small, myelinated nerve fibers that transmit pain quickly to the central nervous system in response to high intensity mechanical stimulation heat or cold. pain transmitted by these fivers usually has a sharp quality

Question 4

afferent

Answer 4

conducting into the central nervous system

Question 5

allodynia

Answer 5

pain that occurs in response to stimuli that do not usually produce pain

Question 6

analgesia

Answer 6

reduced sensibility to pain

Question 7

autonomic nervous system

Answer 7

the division of the nervous system that controls involuntary activities of smooth and cardiac muscles and glandular secretion. the autonomic nervous system is composed of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems

Question 8

baseline

Answer 8

starting point for grading activity that a patient can perform with confidence without flaring up

Question 9

central sensitization

Answer 9

process of central nervous system adaptation to nociceptive input that changed transmission from peripheral nerves to the CNS increasing the magnitude and duration of the response to noxious stimuli or repeated noxious , enlarging the receptor field of the nerves, and reducing the pain threshold so that normally nonnoxious stimuli become painful

Question 10

c fibers

Answer 10

small unmyelinated nerve fibers that transmit pain slowly to the central nervous system in response to noxious levels of mechanical, thermal, and chemical stimulation. pain transmitted by these fibers is usually dull, long lasting, and aching

Question 11

chronic pain

Answer 11

pain that persists beyond the usual or expected length of time for tissue healing or pain present on at least half the days for longer than 6 months

Question 12

complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)

Answer 12

a chronic disease characterized by severe pain, usually in an arm or leg, associated with dysregulation of the sympathetic nervous system and central sensitization, usually following trauma

Question 13

efferent

Answer 13

conducting away from the central nervous system

Question 14

flare-up

Answer 14

prolonged period of severe symptoms, seemingly out of proportion to the activity that triggered it, can last days

Question 15

hyperalgesia

Answer 15

increased sensitivity to noxious stimuli primary hyperalgesia, caused by changes in the tissues in the place where tenderness is perceived. second hyperalgesia increase sensitivity in healthy tissues medicated by changes in the central nervous system

Question 16

interneurons

Answer 16

a neuron that is neither purely sensory nor motor but that connects other neurons

Question 17

mechanosensitivity

Answer 17

responsiveness to mechanical stimuli

Question 18

neuromatrix theory of pain

Answer 18

the theory that the pain matrix unconsciously integrates nociceptive and nonnociceptive sensory input with biological psychological, and social factors to determine the presence of threat and need for protection

Question 19

neuropathy

Answer 19

disturbance of function or pathological change in a nerve

Question 20

neurotransmitter

Answer 20

substances released by presynaptic neurons that activate postsynaptic neurons

Question 21

nociception

Answer 21

the neural process of encoding noxious stimuli

Question 22

nociceptive system

Answer 22

parts of the somatosensory nervous system responsible for transmitting and processing nociceptive impulses

Question 23

nociceptors

Answer 23

high threshold sensory receptors of the peripheral somatosensory nervous system that are capable of transducing and encoding noxious stimuli

Question 24

nociplasticity

Answer 24

ability of the nervous and immune systems to undergo functional and structural changed that amplify nociceptive processing in the absence of a disease or lesion of the somatosensory system

Question 25

noxious stimulus

Answer 25

a stimulus that is damaging or threatens damage to normal tissue

Question 26

opiopeptins

Answer 26

endogenous opioid like peptides that reduce the perception of pain by binding to opioid receptors

Question 27

pain matrix

Answer 27

variable group of cortical and subcortical regions in the brain involved in the processing of nociception and the perception of pain, usually including the anterior cingulate cortex, insular cortex, thalamus, and sensorimotor cortex

Question 28

peripheral neuropathy

Answer 28

dysfunction of peripheral nerve tissue that may involve irritation of the connective tissue sheaths or compromise of nerve conduction by a disease or lesion of the neurons

Question 29

peripheral sensitization

Answer 29

lowering of the nociceptor firing threshold in response to the release of various substances including substance P, neurolinin A, and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), from nociceptive afferent fibers. causes an increased magnitude of response to stimuli and an increase in the area from which stimulus can evoke action potentials

Question 30

primary afferent neurons

Answer 30

peripheral nerve cells responsible for transmitting sensory input

Question 31

referred pain

Answer 31

pain experienced in one area when the actual or threatened tissue damage has occurred in another area

Question 32

sympathetic nervous system

Answer 32

the part of the autonomic nervous system involved in the fight or flight response of the body, causing increased heart rate, blood pressure, and sweating and dilation of the pupils