Pathophysiology-- physiology of pain Flashcards
pain is…
-physiologic and perceptual, actual or potential tissue damage
-subjective
-unrelieved pain has harmful effects that slow healing
pain threshold
point of pain recognition
perceptual dominance
pain at one location may cause an increase in the pain threshold at another location
pain tolerance
duration of time or intensity a person will endure pain before initiating pain response
pain occurs _____ injury occurs to prevent damage
before
nociceptors
skin receptors that respond only to painful stimuli, send nerve impulses to the brain to interpret as pain
nerve impulses are transmitted to spinal cord by….
myelinated A delta fibers (fast)
unmyelinated C fibers (slow)
what stimuli may activate nociceptors?
skin, GI tract, skeletal muscle, joints, arteries, head, heart
4 processes of pain signaling
transduction, transmission, perception, modulation
transduction
stimulus converted to action potential at site of tissue injury, chemical substances released, chemicals sensitize afferent nociceptors carrying painful stimuli
transmission
neuronal action potential transmitted through CNS so it can be perceived, impulse transmitted to brain
perception
neural processing of sensations in brain, awareness and interpretation of meaning and sensation, described in terms of threshold and tolerance
modulation
inhibition of nociception, efferent fibers modulate or alter pain, opioids such as as endorphins are mediators, analgesics modulate pain by mimicking endogenous endorphins
pediatric perception of pain
anatomic and functional ability to perceive pain, lower pain threshold
geriatric perception of pain
increased prevalence of pain, increase in pain threshold due to experience, but also could have decrease in pain threshold due to thinning of skin
acute pain
sudden, well defined, pain decreases over time, self limiting,
chronic pain
insidious, prolonged, painful areas not differentiated, few overt signs, suffering increases over time
cancer pain
pain related to cancer or cancer treatment
neuropathic pain
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
ischemic pain
related to blood flow diminishment in the body
referred pain
when pain you feel in one part of your body is actually caused by pain or injury in another part of the body
signs and symptoms of physiologic responses to pain
increased HR, increased BP, increased respiratory rate, dilated pupils, pallor and perspiration, nausea and vomiting, urine retention
physiologic responses to pain
blood shifts to muscle, heart, lungs, brain
bronchioles dilated
decreased gastric secretions
decreased gastric motility
increased circulating blood sugar
hypomotility of bladder ureters
