Pain Background Flashcards
Alpha fibres
- small, lightly milenated
- carry rapid/sharp pain
- open gate
C fibres
- small, no mylenation
- carry slow burning pain
- open gate
Alpha Beta fibres
Large diameter
- low threshold, sensitive to light touch
- close gate
neuropathic pain
- caused by damage to or conditions affecting nervous system
- Phantom limb, sensitization
Primary sensitization
when it takes less traima to cause damage/injury to a tissue due to the tissue being sensitized by previous injury
Historical perspective: Bonicas concept of multidiscipilanary management of pain
Blocking nerve of the pain pathway
-low long term success
Historical perspective: Fordyces concept of pain
- Is when you have pain it affects you
- family member and friends show sympathy, gifts etc which increases and reinforces pain
Historical perspective: gate control theory
- how pain is enhanced and modified
- C fibres carry pain and AB fibres can have an inhibitory affect on pain
(rubbing after getting hurt)
Substantia gelantinosa (location/ what synapses there/ affect)
- in dorsal horn of spinal cord
- small fibres synapse there and can have inhibitory or excitatory effects
-The SG then sysnapses with spinothalmic tract
Central modulation of pain (2)
- Reticular formation- inhibitory effect (increases by distraction, conc, sleep, pain meds)
- Cerebral cortex- increase reticular formation activity decrease cortical activity (vise versa), decrease cerebral cortex activity thru relaxation, sleep, alcohol
Peripheral modification of pain
- Mechanoreceptors (thru movement
- manipulation
- canabinoids
- endorphins
- hapiness horomones (dope, oxy, sero, endorphins)
- sleep
pain generators (3)
- Inactivity/imotility
- Injury
- psychological factors
Radicular Pain- where is it felt, associated feelings, how is it detected
- Felt away from site of lesion
- Usually numbness (or sharp, shooting etc)
- dermatomal pattern of pain so test reflexes, muscle strength etc
Reffered Pain- where is it felt, associated feelings, how detected
- far from site of lesion
- dull aching pain
- Myotomal pain pattern
- detectible deficit that follows a particular nerve root
