pain, analgesia, anesthesia

what is pain

a signal that leads to a pathway

pain pathway

• transduction: injury → inflammatory mediators → nociceptor activation

• transmission: signal travels from nerve → spinal cord → brain

• perception: brain interprets signal “pain experience”

• modulation: CNS increases or decreases pain

transduction - what activates pain

stimuli (type of injury) → opens ion channels → action potential → CNS

Inflammation _____ pain threshold; _____ sensitivity

lowers: increases
- need less of a nocioception to experience pain

Actue pain

• types

sudden onset of pain from injury

types; nociceptive (tissue damage), neuropathic (nerve damage), inflammatory, central

chronic pain

occurs overtime (disease)

analgesics

relieves pain

which drugs work on transduction

• NSAIDs, corticosteroids

which drugs work on transmission

local anesthetics

which drugs work on perception

opioids

which drugs work on modulation

antidepressants, anticonvulsants

anesthesia

loss of sensation, with or without loss of consciousness

General anesthesia

loss of sensation + consciousness

major surgery

regional anesthesia

loss of sensation in body region

awake

local anesthesia

loss of sensation in small area

awake

sedation

reduced awareness

calm/awake