Pain Management Flashcards
McGill Pain Questionnaire
Measurement of pain. Patient must circle the words that describe their pain and then count the number of circled words for their pain
Behaviors that are indicative of pain
Vocalizations, painful facial expressions, inconsolability, interaction (withdrawl or seeking comfort), difficulty sleeping, physical manifestations of stress/pain (ex: high HR, tears), atypical features
Three kinds of pain perception
Nociceptive, thermal, neuropathic
Nociceptive pain - def and examples
Sharp, aching, or throbbing pain that results from mechanical damage to tissues. Ex causes: sprained ankle, broken bone, muscle tears
Thermal pain - thresholds and tolerances - defs and values
Temp-based pain.
Min and max thresholds (pain detection): 65 F, 104 F
Min and max human tolerances (pain can no longer be endured or adjusted to): 48 F, 115 F
Neuropathic pain - def and examples
Def: pain resulting from nerve damage, triggers chemical reactions
Ex causes: trauma, disease, chemicals, infection, tumors, phantom pain
Acute vs Chronic Pain (and the 3 types of chronic)
Acute: episodic damage and pain perception
Chronic: long-term persistent pain, often starts as acute pain. Three types: chronic benign, recurrent acute, and chronic progressive
Chronic benign pain
Persists at least 6 mos, unresponsive to Tx
Recurrent acute pain
Acute episodes of pain that recur over at least 6 mos
Chronic progressive pain
Increases in severity over at least 6 mos
Rate of back pain in the US
70-85% of Americans at some point in their lives
Prevalence of chronic headaches recurring headaches in the US
45 million Americans
Cancer pain
Experienced by most patients with advanced cancer
How many Americans are affected by arthritis pain?
40 million
Neurogenic pain
Resulting from damage to peripheral nerves or the central NS
