Understanding pain

Question 1

What is pain?

Answer 1

an unpleasant and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage

Question 2

What are the features of pain?

Answer 2

Sensory - how intense it is
Affective - how unpleasant it is
Physiological - NOCICEPTION (perception of physical pain)

Question 3

What are the different ways of measuring pain?

Answer 3

Pain thermometer
Visual analoque
McGill scale
Faces pain scale

Question 4

What is pain thermometer?

Answer 4

Rating of pain from 0-10

Question 5

What is visual analogue scale?

Answer 5

Put a line on a 100 mm scale with one end no pain and other end extreme pain, then measure distance from start to line to see pain e.g 50 mm

Question 6

What is the McGill scale?

Answer 6

questionaire to measure pain

Question 7

What is the faces pain scale?

Answer 7

Often used for kids by paediatrics where they match face to chart to measure pain

Question 8

Who discovered the Gate control theory?

Answer 8

Melzack and wall

Question 9

What does the gate control theory suggest?

Answer 9

pain perception is modulated by interaction between different neurones. neurotransmitters = physical evidence of gate)

Better terms: The gate control theory of pain asserts that non-painful input closes the “gates” to painful input, which prevents pain sensation from traveling to the central nervous system. Therefore, stimulation by non-noxious input is able to suppress pain.

Question 10

What is phantom limb pain?

Answer 10

70% of amputees experience as they still feel pain in their missing limb or organ

Question 11

What is TENS (transcutaneous electrical stimulation)

Answer 11

a device for pain management. This is where you stimulate area of pain by giving electrical shocks