Untitled Flashcards Set

Pathophysiology

The study of how the body's normal processes change when we get sick or injured.

Pain

An unpleasant, uncomfortable sensation usually indicating tissue damage.

Somatosensory component

Part of the nervous system that provides awareness of body sensations such as touch, temperature, limb position, and pain.

Specificity theory

The theory that predicts the level of pain of a specific acute injury but does not encompass the subjective experience of pain.

Pattern theory

A group of theories proposing that pain receptors share pathways with other sensory modalities, suggesting that different patterns of activity signal painful versus non-painful stimuli.

Gate control theory

A theory suggesting that larger diameter, faster propagating fibers can inhibit the perception of pain by activating interneurons.

Neuromatrix theory

A theory addressing the brain's role and the various determinants of pain, aiding in understanding chronic and phantom limb pain.

Neospinothalamic tract

A pathway that provides rapid transmission of sharp, fast pain information to the thalamus.

Palesospinothalamic tract

A slower conducting pathway that transmits sensory information associated with dull and chronic pain.

Pain threshold

The point at which a stimulus is perceived as painful.

Pain tolerance

The maximum intensity or duration of pain that a person is willing to endure.

Acute pain

Self-limiting pain that lasts less than 6 months.

Chronic pain

Persistent pain that lasts longer than 6 months, often debilitating and lacking acute pain's autonomic responses.

Nociceptive pain

Pain arising from the activation of pain receptors in response to actual or potential tissue injury.

Referred pain

Pain perceived at a location other than the site of the painful stimulus, often due to shared nervous system pathways.

Endogenous analgesia

The body's intrinsic system for relieving pain through the central nervous system.

Neuropathic pain

Pain that originates from pathology affecting the nervous system.

Trigeminal neuralgia

A type of neuropathic pain characterized by facial tics or spasms.

Phantom limb pain

Neurological pain following the amputation of a limb, often experienced as sensations of tingling or burning.

Cognitive behavioral interventions

Non-pharmacologic pain management strategies such as relaxation, distraction, and biofeedback.

Opioid analgesics

Medications used primarily for relieving moderate to severe pain.

Morphine sulfate

A prototype opioid used for pain management, metabolized in the liver.