Hubert: Gould's Pathophysiology for the Health Professions, 6th

Edition

Chapter 4: Pain

Answer Key to Study Questions

1. a. Nociceptors are free sensory nerve endings that respond to chemical, thermal, or
physical stimuli.
b. C fibers are unmyelinated sensory nerve fibers that transmit impulses slowly, with
pain perceived as dull and aching.
c. The spinothalamic tract is a bundle of sensory nerve fibers conducting afferent pain
impulses up the spinal cord to the brain.
d. The parietal lobe is the somatosensory area of the brain where pain characteristics
and location are identified.
e. The reticular formation includes the reticular activating system, which determines
awareness of the brain to sensory stimuli.
f. Endorphins and enkephalins are opioids or morphine-like substances produced in
the CNS that can block the pain pathway naturally.
2. Referred pain is perceived in an area some distance away from its origin; for
example, cardiac pain is perceived in the left arm and shoulder.
2. Acute pain is sudden and severe, often temporary, and usually arises from a specific
cause and responds to appropriate treatments. Intractable pain may have an unknown
cause and does not respond to the usual methods of treatment. It is chronic and may
be disabling.
3. Factors that can alter the perception of and response to pain are prior experience with
pain, age, physiological status, the cause of pain, anxiety or fear, and conditioning.
4. Possible methods of pain control include analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs,
anesthetics, application of heat or cold, massage, surgery, acupuncture, relaxation
techniques, hypnosis, and distracting activities.

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