Understanding Pain

Question 1

What is the function of pain?

Answer 1

Warning system
Signifies damage
Connotes suffering
Useful for avoiding further damage

Question 2

What are the two types of pain?

Answer 2

Acute
Biological functions
Can take days to weeks to recover

Chronic
Made up of number of factors
Can last more than 6 months and can be recurrent, progressive or constant.

Question 3

What are nociceptors?

Answer 3

Detect pain stimuli and send signals to the spinal cord via free nerve endings.

Question 4

What is nociception?

Answer 4

An adverse stimulus causes vessels and tissues to release chemicals that trigger the nociceptors to send a pain message to the brain that mediates the conscious perception of pain. The nociceptors respond only when a stimulus is strong enough to threaten the body’s integrity.

Question 5

Where are nociceptors found?

Answer 5

Internal nociceptors are found in a variety of organs, such as the muscles, the joints, the bladder, the gut, and the digestive tract.

Question 6

What are the three different fibres?

Answer 6

A-delta fibres
C fibres
A-beta fibres

Question 7

What are a-delta fibres?

Answer 7

Myelinated
Transmission of sharp local pain sensation
Fast pain
carry information related to touch

Question 8

What are c-fibres?

Answer 8

Unmyelinated

Carry information related to pain,temperature and itchiness

Question 9

What is the gate control theory?

Answer 9

Non painful input blocks the gates to painful then prevents the sensation of pain from travelling to the CNS

Question 10

What are analgesia and how do they work?

Answer 10

Analgesia are medication that act to relieve pain.

How do they work:
Cells in the body that are injured or damaged release chemicals called prostaglandins and nerve endings that sense pain are extremely sensitive to this chemical.
When taking analgesia it keeps injured cells from making prostaglandins and therefore no message is sent to the brain for pain.

Question 11

What are the three different neurons?

Answer 11

Sensory, Motor and Interneurons
Sensory: Nerve cells that are activated by sensory input from the environment.
Motor: Part of the CNS. Connect to muscles, glands and organs throughout the body, neurons transmit impulse from the spinal cord to skeletal and smooth muscles.
Interneurons: Connect the spinal motor and the sensory neurons and transfers the signal.