Pathophysiology-- physiology of pain

Question 1

pain is…

Answer 1

-physiologic and perceptual, actual or potential tissue damage
-subjective
-unrelieved pain has harmful effects that slow healing

Question 2

pain threshold

Answer 2

point of pain recognition

Question 3

perceptual dominance

Answer 3

pain at one location may cause an increase in the pain threshold at another location

Question 4

pain tolerance

Answer 4

duration of time or intensity a person will endure pain before initiating pain response

Question 5

pain occurs _____ injury occurs to prevent damage

Answer 5

before

Question 6

nociceptors

Answer 6

skin receptors that respond only to painful stimuli, send nerve impulses to the brain to interpret as pain

Question 7

nerve impulses are transmitted to spinal cord by….

Answer 7

myelinated A delta fibers (fast)
unmyelinated C fibers (slow)

Question 8

what stimuli may activate nociceptors?

Answer 8

skin, GI tract, skeletal muscle, joints, arteries, head, heart

Question 9

4 processes of pain signaling

Answer 9

transduction, transmission, perception, modulation

Question 10

transduction

Answer 10

stimulus converted to action potential at site of tissue injury, chemical substances released, chemicals sensitize afferent nociceptors carrying painful stimuli

Question 11

transmission

Answer 11

neuronal action potential transmitted through CNS so it can be perceived, impulse transmitted to brain

Question 12

perception

Answer 12

neural processing of sensations in brain, awareness and interpretation of meaning and sensation, described in terms of threshold and tolerance

Question 13

modulation

Answer 13

inhibition of nociception, efferent fibers modulate or alter pain, opioids such as as endorphins are mediators, analgesics modulate pain by mimicking endogenous endorphins

Question 14

pediatric perception of pain

Answer 14

anatomic and functional ability to perceive pain, lower pain threshold

Question 15

geriatric perception of pain

Answer 15

increased prevalence of pain, increase in pain threshold due to experience, but also could have decrease in pain threshold due to thinning of skin

Question 16

acute pain

Answer 16

sudden, well defined, pain decreases over time, self limiting,

Question 17

chronic pain

Answer 17

insidious, prolonged, painful areas not differentiated, few overt signs, suffering increases over time

Question 18

cancer pain

Answer 18

pain related to cancer or cancer treatment

Question 19

neuropathic pain

Answer 19

damage or injury to the nerves that transfer information between the brain and spinal cord from the skin, muscles and other parts of the body

Question 20

ischemic pain

Answer 20

related to blood flow diminishment in the body

Question 21

referred pain

Answer 21

when pain you feel in one part of your body is actually caused by pain or injury in another part of the body

Question 22

signs and symptoms of physiologic responses to pain

Answer 22

increased HR, increased BP, increased respiratory rate, dilated pupils, pallor and perspiration, nausea and vomiting, urine retention

Question 23

physiologic responses to pain

Answer 23

blood shifts to muscle, heart, lungs, brain
bronchioles dilated
decreased gastric secretions
decreased gastric motility
increased circulating blood sugar
hypomotility of bladder ureters