Pain (exam 2) Flashcards
What are the 2 types of pain?
Nociceptive
Neuropathic
What is nociceptive pain?
Trigger nociceptors for pain
Somatic- joints, muscle, skin (very specific)
Visceral- organs (tumor/ obstruction) (very broad, referred pain)
What is neuropathic pain?
Brain feels pain
CNS or PNS
Don’t always know the stimulus
What type of pain do small C fibers cause?
Prolonged, dull, achey, persistent pain
Small C fibers are unmyelinated
What type of pain do large A fibers cause? What other sensations?
Immediate, sharp pain
Large A fibers are myelinated
Touch, vibration, thermal
What are natural analgesics?
Endorphins
Enkephalin
Dynorphin
What does Transduction in pain pathway do?
Nociceptors activated, release substance to activate small C fibers
What does Transmission in pain pathway do?
Small C fibers to spinal cord through brain stem to the thalamus to the cerebral cortex
What does Perception in pain pathway do?
Once in cerebral cortex we feel and become aware of pain
What does Modulation in pain pathway do?
How we inhibit or control pain
What is the gate control theory?
Small C fibers open the gate, cause pain
Large A fibers close the pain gate, modulation: touch, thermal, vibration
What is endogenous modulation?
Release analgesics (endorphins, serotonin, Neorepinephrine)
Block pain at the level small C fibers came in
Block at spinal cord even though nociceptors are still firing
What is exogenous modulation?
Large A fibers doing the modulation and closing gate through touch, vibration and thermal
Nociceptors are still firing, but large A are myelinated and beat to spinal cord so we don’t perceive it
How many months of persistent pain till it is classified as chronic pain?
3 months
Intermittent Chronic Pain
Comes and goes
Ex: chronic migraines
Persistent Chronic Pain
Always present
Ex: lumbago (low back pain)
Neuropathic Pain
Brains perception of pain
Characterized by:
Hyperalgesia (over exaggerated pain levels)
Allodynia (feel pain with no present stimulus)
What is perceptual dominance?
Second injury is masked by pain of greater injury
What causes a fever? What does fever mean?
Pyrogens
Mean infection
What is hyperthemia?
High body temp
Overexposure to heat source
What is malignant hyperthermia?
Increased body temp caused by anesthetics
Spontaneously, quick progression of body temp
Increase muscle contraction, increase body temp
Stop by removal of anesthetics
What is hypothermia?
To low body temp
What are the stages of sleep?
REM (dreaming, rapid eye movement)
Non-REM sleep (4 stages, deeper sleep)
What is Hypersomnia and the types?
To sleepy
Primary hypersomnia: always over sleepy
Secondary hypersomnia: something inducing it, usually drugs
What sleep disorders affect breathing?
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (usually overweight or obese)
Nocturnal paroxysmal dyspnea (CHF patients, overwork heart laying down, SOB)
What is insomnia?
Inability to fall or stay asleep
What is strabismus?
Deviation from center of eye
Lazy eye
What is nystagmus?
Eye shaking, twitching
What is diplopia? What is it a symptom of?
Double vision
Strabismus symptom