pain and temperature Flashcards
what tracts are associated with pain and temperature?
spinthothalamic tract
how do we test for pain?
pin prick
what is pain?
a subjective interpretation of an unpleasant stimulus not necessarily a product of nociceptor excitation.
nociceptive pain
pain resulting from nociceptor activation due to tissue injury and resultant inflammation
neuropathic pain
pain resulting from direct insult to the nerve, THINK OF HITTING FUNNY BONE IN ELBOW
what is a nociceptor?
a receptor that responds to noxious stimuli resulting from skin or soft tissue injury. activation can cause pain.
what transmits slow, dull pain to the spinal cord?
unmyelinated C fibers that carry high intensity thermal, chemical, and mechanical noxious stimuli
what transmits fast, sharp pricking pain to the spinal cord?
A delta fibers that are myelinated carry thermal and mechanical noxious stimuli
pain from viscera enters spinal cord how?
same way somatic pain does which explains referred visceral pain, goes through LSTT
referred visceral pain
like brain hallucination. gallbladder hurts, but brain knows gallbladder does not normally experience pain so it dismisses pain and assigns it somewhere else like right shoulder
primary hyperalgesia
majority of our pain perception. inflammatory changes in an area of injury. sensitization of surrounding nociceptors after injury or inflammation
what does primary hyperalgesia result from?
release of bradykinin, prostaglandins, histamine, acetylcholine, substance P, CGRP from different cell populations involved in the injury, which decreases nociceptor’s activation threshold. can be treated by NSAIDs.
example of primary hyperalgesia?
twisting ankle multiple times
what are examples of inflammatory agents that cause inflammation?
bradykinin, prostaglandins, histamine, acetylcholine, substance P, CGRP
central hyperalgesia
sensitization of dorsal horn cells after injury, may result in long term decrease of pain threshold of patient
