Professional Documents
Culture Documents
PAIN
PAIN
of Pain
What is Pain??
Introductory Ideas
Sensation of the affected level of unpleasantness
Perception of actual or threatened damage
Perception based on expectations, past experience,
anxiety, suggestions, cognitive factors
Acute
Chronic
Pain is Subjective
Simple Spinal Reflex Arc
NCV 36-72m/sec
NCV - 70-120m/sec
Neurotransmitters
Chemical substances that allow nerve impulses
to move from one neuron to another
Found in synapses
Norepinephrine
Substance P
Acetylcholine
Enkephalins
Endorphins
Serotonin
Descending Neurons
Transmit impulses from the brain
(corticospinal tract in the cortex) to the spinal
cord (lamina)
Assessment of pain
Visual analogue scale
Picture
Pain Scales
Visual Analog Scale
None
Severe
10
20 subcategories, 78 words
Scoring
Add up the total number of words chosen, up
to the maximum of 20 words (one for each
category)
Pt could have a high score of 20, but have a lowintensity score by selecting the 1st word in each
category.
Submaximal Effort
Tourniquet Test
In 1966, Smith et al described a method of matching a
patients pain using a SETT.
The SETT is performed by inflating a BP cuff to above
systolic pressure on the pt elevated arm.
Once the cuff is inflated, the pt is instructed to open and
close the hand or fist rhythmically.
Pain Control
Theories
Where have we been?
Where are we now?
Pattern theory
Pain
Of all the components of the injury response,
none is less consistent or less understood
than an individuals response to pain
The sensation of pain is a diffuse entity
inherent to the nervous system and basic to
all people
It is a personal experience that all humans
endure
Acute pain is the primary reason why people
seek medical attention and the major
complaint that they describe on initial
evaluation.
Nociceptors.
Example
Pain Process
Noxious input or nociceptive stimulus causes the
activation of pain fibers.
The painful impulse is triggered by the initial
mechanical force of the injury (whether sudden
or gradual onset) and is continued by chemical
irritation resulting from the inflammatory process
In subacute and chronic conditions, pain may be
continued by reflex muscle spasm in a positive
feedback loop or through the continued
presence of chemical irritation
Modulation of Pain
Acute pain response begins with a noxious
stimulus.
Pain fibers
A-delta fibers- a type of nerve that transmits
painful information that is often interpreted by
the brain as burning or stinging pain
C-fibers- a type of nerve that transmits painful
information that is often interpreted by the
brain as throbbing or aching
A-delta fibers
C-fibers
Consciousness
Speech
Hearing
Memory
Thought
Example:
Placebo Effect
Placebo stems from the Latin word for I
shall please
Used to describe pain reduction obtained from
a mechanism other than those related to the
physiological effects of the tx.
Linked to psychological mechanisms
Chronic Pain
Characteristics of
Symptoms last longer than 6 months
Few objective medical findings
Medication abuse
Difficulty sleeping
Depression
Manipulative behavior
Somatic preoccupation
Categories of Chronic
Pain
*Chronic recurrent pain -- benign condition
consisting of intense pain alternating with
pain-free periods. eg, migraine, tension
headaches, endometriosis.
* Chronic intractable-benign pain -- benign
condition where pain is persistent with no
pain free periods, although the pain may vary
in intensity eg low back pain.
Categories of Chronic
Pain
* Chronic progressive pain --malignant
condition where pain is continuous and
increases in intensity as the organic
condition (disease) worsens eg. Cancer
and rheumatoid arthritis.
Congenital Analgesia
A well-known case of congenital
insensitivity to pain is a girl referred to
as 'miss C' who was a student at McGill
university in Montreal in the 1950s. She
was normal in every way, except that
she could not feel pain. When she was
a child she had bitten off the tip of her
tongue and had suffered third-degree
burns by kneeling on a radiator.
Congenital Analgesia
When she was examined by a psychologist
(Charles Murray) in 1950 she did not feel any
pain when she was given strong electric
shocks or when exposed to very hot and very
cold water. When these stimuli were
presented to her she showed no change in
heart rate, blood pressure or respiration. She
did not remember ever having coughed or
sneezed, and did not show a blinking reflex.
She died at the age of 29 as a result of her
condition.
Congenital Analgesia
Although during a post-mortem there were no
obvious signs of what had caused the
analgesia in the first place, she had damaged
her knees, hips and spine. This damage was
due to the fact that she did not shift her
weight when standing or sitting, did not turn
over in bed and did not avoid what would
normally be considered to be uncomfortable
postures. This caused severe inflammation in
her joints.
Congenital Analgesia
Although there is some evidence that this
condition may be inherited, there are other
causes such as neurological damage.
However, some cases cannot be explained in
this way. Most people with this condition learn
to avoid causing themselves too much harm
but, as in the case of 'Miss C, may die as a
result of the problems caused by the
analgesia.
Episodic Analgesia
Serious injury (e.g. loss of limb) - little pain
felt.
6 characteristics (Melzack and Wall 1988).
1. The condition has no relationship to the
severity or the location of the injury.
2. No simple relationship to circumstances occurs in battle or at home.
3. Victim fully aware of injury but feels no pain
4. Analgesia is instantaneous
5. Analgesia lasts for a limited time
Episodic Analgesia
6 Analgesia is localised, pain can be felt
in other parts of the body (arm blown
off is not felt, but injection is!)
Episodic Analgesia
Carlen et al (1978) - Israeli soldiers Yom Kippur War. Loss of arm - 'bang',
'thump' or 'blow'.
Melzack, Wall and Ty (1982) - 37% of
accident victims reported the
experience of episodic analgesia.
Fibromyalgia: Pain
Without Injury
The occurrence of body-wide pain in the
absence of tissue damage, as in fibromyalgia,
interferes with all aspects of a person's life
and undermines their credibility. The problem
is that normal activities can be exhausting,
sleep is disturbed, the ability to concentrate is
impaired, gastrointestinal function is often
abnormal, persistent headaches are
common, and the unrelenting pain that no
one can see is often detrimental to their
personal and professional lives--as it creates
a "credibility gap."
Pain - Injury
Neuralgia - sharp pain along a nerve
pathway. Causalgia - burning pain Both
develop after wound or disease has ended.
Triggered by a simple stimulus e.g. breeze or
vibration. Physiological cause of headaches
not known. Melzack and Wall (1988) report
that migraine causes dilation of blood
vessels, not the other way around! Pain out of
proportion to the injury Some cancers
produce little pain until they are advanced.
(Serious illness, little pain). Kidney stones are
not serious, but produce excruciating pain.
Purpose of pain
1.
Prevents serious damage. If you touch
something hot, you are forced to withdraw
your hand before it gets seriously burnt.
2. Teaches one what to avoid
3. If pain is in joints, pain limits the activity, so
no permanent damage can occur.
but pain can become the problem, and cause
people to want to die.
3.
4.
gate
2. Activity in other sensory nerves - closes
the gate
3. Messages from the brain concentrating on the pain or trying not
to think about it
Physical conditions
Emotional
Conditions
Mental conditions
Medication
Counterstimulation, eg
massage
Anxiety or worry
Positive emotions
Tension
Relaxation
Depression
Rest
Intense concentration or
distraction
Boredom