Overview of Pain Terminology and Management

Questions and Answers

Define acute pain.

Pain that follows some bodily injury, disappears with healing, and tends to be self-limiting.

Define analgesia.

The loss of sensitivity to pain.

Define central sensitization.

A change in the excitability of neurons in the spinal cord and/or activation of spinal cord glial cells that contributes to primary hyperalgesia.

Define chronic pain.

Pain that lasts several weeks to months and persists beyond the expected healing time when nonmalignant in origin. Signup and view all the answers

Define hyperalgesia.

An increased response to stimulation that is normally painful at the site of injury or in surrounding undamaged tissue. Signup and view all the answers

Define local anesthesia.

The temporary loss of sensation in a defined part of the body without loss of consciousness. Signup and view all the answers

Define multimodal anesthesia.

The use of multiple drugs with different actions, which act at different levels of the nociceptive pathways, to produce optimal analgesia. Signup and view all the answers

Define nociception.

The reception, conduction, and central nervous system processing of nerve signals generated by the stimulation of nociceptors. Signup and view all the answers

Define pain.

An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. Signup and view all the answers

Define pain threshold.

The least experience of pain that a patient can recognize. Signup and view all the answers

Define pain tolerance level.

The greatest level of pain that a patient can tolerate. Signup and view all the answers

Define pathologic pain.

Pain that has an exaggerated response much beyond its protective usefulness, often associated with tissue injury. Signup and view all the answers

Define perception in the context of pain.

The overall conscious, emotional experience of pain produced by the integration of nociceptor information. Signup and view all the answers

Define peripheral sensitization.

A change in the excitability of neurons at the site of tissue damage resulting in hyperalgesia. Signup and view all the answers

Define physiologic pain.

Pain that acts as a protective mechanism to incite individuals to move away from the cause of potential tissue damage. Signup and view all the answers

Define preemptive analgesia.

The administration of an analgesic drug before stimulation to prevent sensitization of neurons. Signup and view all the answers

Define regional anesthesia.

The loss of sensation in part of the body by interrupting the sensory nerves conducting impulses from that region. Signup and view all the answers

Define somatic pain.

Pain that originates from damage to bones, joints, muscle, or skin. Signup and view all the answers

Define tolerance in terms of pain management.

A shortened duration and decreased intensity of analgesic effects, with considerable increase in the average dose required. Signup and view all the answers

Define visceral pain.

Pain that arises from stretching, distention, or inflammation of the viscera. Signup and view all the answers

Define windup.

Sensitization of nociceptors and central pain pathways in response to a barrage of nociceptive impulses. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Pain Terminology Overview

Acute Pain: Follow injury; self-limiting and disappears with healing.
Analgesia: Loss of sensitivity to pain.
Central Sensitization: Increased excitability of spinal cord neurons leading to primary hyperalgesia.
Chronic Pain: Persists for weeks to months beyond expected healing, typically nonmalignant.
Hyperalgesia: Enhanced pain response to normally painful stimuli; involves stimulated nociceptors.
Local Anesthesia: Temporary sensation loss in a localized area without affecting consciousness.

Pain Management Techniques

Multimodal Anesthesia: Involves multiple drugs acting at various nociceptive pathway levels for optimal pain relief.
Nociception: Physiological process of receiving and processing pain signals from nociceptors.
Perception of Pain: Conscious emotional experience of pain, integrating nociceptor and other CNS inputs.

Pain Characteristics

Pain: Unpleasant sensory and emotional experience related to actual or potential tissue damage.
Pain Threshold: Minimum level of pain perceived by an individual.
Pain Tolerance Level: Maximum pain intensity that an individual can endure.

Types of Pain

Pathologic Pain: Exaggerated pain response beyond protective utility, associated with tissue injury.
Physiologic Pain: Protective pain mechanism that encourages avoidance of further tissue damage.
Peripheral Sensitization: Increased neuron excitability in damaged tissue, contributing to localized hyperalgesia.
Somatic Pain: Originates from skin, muscles, joints; characterized as sharp or throbbing.
Visceral Pain: Arises from organ distention or inflammation; described as deep or cramping without clear localization.

Pain Modulation Mechanisms

Preemptive Analgesia: Administration of pain relief drugs before potential pain stimuli to prevent sensitization.
Regional Anesthesia: Loss of sensation in a specific body area by disrupting sensory nerve conduction.
Tolerance: Decreased intensity of analgesic effects over time, requiring higher doses to achieve relief.
Windup: Sensitization of nociceptors and pain pathways resulting from repeated nociceptive input, leading to increased pain response.

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Description

This quiz provides an overview of key pain terminology, including definitions and characteristics of acute and chronic pain, as well as pain management techniques. Test your understanding of concepts like analgesia, nociception, and multimodal anesthesia in relation to pain perception.