Pain Physiology Flashcards
1
Q
What is pain and what is it influenced by?
A
- An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated actual or potential tissue damage which is influenced by biological, psychological and social factors
2
Q
What are the 3 types of stimuli?
A
- Mechanical (stretch/trauma)
- Temperature (heat/cold)
- Chemical (Inflammatory mediators)
3
Q
What are common clinical signs of pain?
A
- Hunched posture
- Limping
- Nausea
- Aggressiveness
4
Q
What are the 2 pain sensations?
A
- Noxious (something that really hurts) e.g., getting hit by a car
- Innocuous (something that doesn’t hurt) e.g., being touched by a feather
5
Q
How is pain transducted?
A
- Through ion movement in stimulated sensory nerves
- Somatic = musculoskeletal system
- Visceral = abdominal organs
6
Q
How is pain transmissioned?
A
- A-delta fibres
- C fibres
- A-beta fibres
7
Q
Describe A-delta fibres
A
- Sharp
- Fast conducted pain
- Thinly myelinated
8
Q
Describe C fibres
A
- Dull
- Aching slow conducted pain
- Unmyelinated
9
Q
Describe A-beta fibres
A
- Light touch
- Pressure
- Vibration
- No pain
- Highly myelinated
10
Q
How is pain modulated?
A
- Signals brought to the dorsal ganglia to relay neurons
- Then brought to the motor neurons
- A reflex arc
11
Q
How is pain percepted?
A
- Signals sent to the brain to warn us to be careful around dangerous things
12
Q
What are the consequences of unmanaged pain?
A
- Leucocytosis
- Cytokine production
- Release of catecholamines and pituitary hormones leading to weight loss and potential wound breakdown
- Poor appetite
- Hypertension
13
Q
What are the 5 different types of pain?
A
- Acute pain
- Chronic pain
- Inflammatory pain
- Neuropathic pain
- Oncological pain
14
Q
What is acute pain?
A
- Comes on suddenly and caused by something specific
- Sharp pain
- Does not last longer than 6 months
- E.g., GDV and pyometra
15
Q
What is chronic pain?
A
- Pain that persists past normal healing time
- Longer than 3-6 months
- E.g., arthritis, chronic pancreatitis
16
Q
What is inflammatory pain?
A
- Results from the increased excitability of peripheral nociceptive sensory fibres produced by eh action of inflammatory mediators
- E.g., chronic leucocytosis
17
Q
What is neuropathic pain?
A
- Occurs when a health condition affects the nerves that carry sensations to the brain
- E.g., diabetic neuropathy
18
Q
What is oncological pain?
A
- Occurs due to cancer
- Can be dull, achy, sharp or burning
- Can be constant, intermittent, mild, moderate or severe
