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Pain Medicine
Board Review
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Pain Medicine
Board Review

Anna Woodbury, MD
Department ofAnesthesiology
Emory University School ofMedicine
Veterans Afiairs Medical Center
Atlanta, Georgia

Boris Spektor, MD
Department ofAnesthesiology
Emory University School ofMedicine
Atlanta, Georgia
Vinita Singh, MD
Department ofAnesthesiology
Emory University School ofMedicine
Atlanta, Georgia
Brian Bobzien, MD
Department ofAnesthesiology
Emory University School ofMedicine
Grady Memorial Hospital
Atlanta, Georgia
Trusharth Patel, MD
Department ofAnesthesiology
Emory University School ofMedicine
Atlanta, Georgia
Jerry Kalangara, MD
Department ofAnesthesiology
Emory University School ofMedicine
Veterans Aflairs Medical Center
Atlanta, Georgia

ELSEVIER
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PAIN MEDICINE BOARD REVIEW ISBN: 978—0—823—4481 1—6

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in—Publication Data

Names: Woodbury, Anna, author.


Title: Pain medicine board review / Anna Woodbury, Boris Spektor, Vinita Singh, Brian Bobzien,
Trusharth Patel, Jerry Kalangara.
Description: First edition. | Philadelphia, PA : Elsevier, [2018] | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017007004 | ISBN 9780323448116 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Subjects: | MESH: Pain Management—methods | Examination Questions
Classification: LCC RB127 | NLM WL 18.2 | DDC 616/.0472076—dc23 LC record
available at https://1ccn.loc.gov/2017007004

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Contributors
Jose Avila-Calles, MD, PhD Daniel P. Loren, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology (Pain Interventional Pain Management Specialist and
Medicine),Jackson Stephens Spine Center, University Anesthesiologist, Orlando, Florida
of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Joshua Meyer, MD
Brian Bobzien, MD Interventional Pain Medicine, Dothan, Alabama
Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology (Pain
Medicine), Emory University School of Medicine, Preeti Narayan, MBBS
Director of Pain Services, Grady Memorial Hospital, Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Fellow, Department
Atlanta, Georgia of Anesthesiology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia

Eashwar Balu Chandrasekaran, MD, MSc Trusharth Patel, MD


Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology (Pain
Medicine, IUH Methodist Palliative Care Services, Medicine), Emory University School of Medicine,
Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Georgia
Indiana
Joshua Scott Powers, MD
Shivang Vinod Desai, MD Bain Complete Wellness, Tampa, Florida
Associate, Departments of Interventional Pain and
Anesthesiology, Geisinger Clinic Moises Adrian Sidransky, MD
Danville, Pennsylvania Interventional Pain Management, East Texas Medical
Center, Tyler, Texas
Lisa Guo Foster, MD
Associate Professor, Department of Orthopedics, Emory Vinita Singh, MD
Orthopaedics 8c Spine Center, Atlanta, Georgia Assistant Professor, Director of Cancer Pain Services,
Department of Anesthesiology (Pain Medicine), Emory
Lynn Marie Fraser, MD University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
Pain Medicine Fellow, Department of Anesthesiology,
University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Boris Spektor, MD
Chapel Hill, North Carolina Program Director, Emory Pain Fellowship, Assistant
Professor, Department of Anesthesiology (Pain Medicine),
Jerry Kalangara, MD Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology (Pain
Medicine), Emory University School of Medicine, Liliana Viera—Ortiz, MD
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Atlanta, Georgia Palliative Medicine, Trauma Hospital, University of
Puerto Rico, Medical Center, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Brian H. Keogh, Jr., MD
Banner Health Interventional Pain and Spine Anna Woodbury, MD, C.Ac
Management Clinic, Greeley, Colorado Assistant Program Director, Emory Pain Fellowship,
Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology (Pain
Zachary Leuschner, MD Medicine), Emory University School of Medicine,
Pain Management Physician, Baylor Scott 8c White Health, Division Chief, Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, Atlanta,
Marble Falls, Texas Georgia
Preface

The field of pain medicine is an ever-developing and expand- This question book is not intended as a stand-alone re-
ing field with an inherently multidisciplinary nature. The source, but as an aid to guide studying and highlight key
field continues to advance with research into newer, safer, points in pain management. It is a companion book to Prac—
and more comprehensive techniques for the management of tical Management of Pain, edited by Honorio Benzon et al.
pain. In the face of a widespread opioid epidemic, physicians Practical Management of Pain stands out as a comprehensive
from a variety of fields have become intensely interested in resource for those interested in the study of pain; it is ap—
nonnarcotic management of acute and chronic pain condi- propriate both for those seeking board certification as well
tions and learning how to appropriately assess opioid risk. As as for those who simply wish to gain a deeper understanding
those who study pain know, there are many varieties of pain of pain and its various treatments. Healthcare practitioners
and many ways to target these individual pain sources and from a variety of fields would benefit from information
interrupt their mechanisms of development. found in these books. In assessing currently available books
This question book highlights some key concepts in the regarding pain medicine for our fellows to use for self-study
pathophysiology and treatment of pain. It was compiled by and board review, we found that most books on the market
physicians from specialties and subspecialties including An— were inadequate and inherently flawed. We therefore en—
esthesiology, Emergency Medicine, Pain Medicine, Pallia- couraged them to read Practical Management of Pain and, as
tive Care, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Re- a group interested in furthering education and understand-
gional Anesthesia/Acute Pain, and it also includes editors ing regarding pain medicine, came together (fellows and
with expertise and special interests in Cancer Pain, Integra- faculty) to develop a question book based off of this com-
tive Medicine, and Pediatric Pain. Questions were written prehensive text. As such, this question book should be used
primarily by fellows during their subspecialty training at as an adjunct to specifically target areas in need of further
Emory University School of Medicine and reviewed/ edited study, whether for board preparation or simply as a “test
by their attendings. Editors represent four separate institu- your knowledge” guide to accompany Practical Management
tions associated with Emory University School of Medicine, ofPain.
bringing with them a wide range of backgrounds and exper-
tise with diverse patient populations.

vi
Acknowledgments

The editors would like to acknowledge helpful discussions (Emergency Medicine 8: Palliative Care), Lynn O’Neill
and input from their colleagues in multiple departments at (Geriatrics, Internal Medicine & Palliative Care), Michael
Emory University School of Medicine. The multidisciplinary Silver (Neurology), Taylor Harrison (Neurology 8c Electrodi—
pain fellowship at Emory and the development of this book agnostics), Natalie Strickland (Pediatric Pain), Jennifer
could not exist without the willingness and enthusiasm to Steiner (Pain Psychology), Nadine Kaslow (Pain Psychology),
teach that has come from the cohesive groups of individuals Howard Levy (Physical Medicine 8c Rehabilitation), William
within these departments. These departments include Anes- Beckworth (Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation),]ose Garcia
thesiology, Emergency Medicine, Hematology 8c Oncology, (Physical Medicine 8c Rehabilitation), Randy Katz (Occupa—
Interventional Radiology, Neurology, Palliative Care, Physical tional Medicine & Physical Medicine 8c Rehabilitation), Scott
Medicine and Rehabilitation, Primary Care, Psychiatry, Psy- Firestone (Psychiatry), Walter Carpenter (Radiology). And of
chology, Radiology, and many others. Specific individuals de— course, the field would not advance without the aid of those
serving of thanks for their support and their commitment to who have dedicated themselves to advancing research in
medical education include Laureen Hill (Chair, Department pain and neural networks, including Paul Garcia, Wei Huang,
of Anesthesiology), Anne Marie McKenzie—Brown (Director, Vitaly Napadow, Bruce Crosson, Ling Wei, and Shan Ping Yu.
Center for Pain), Colette Curtis (Acute Pain), Tammie Quest
(Emergency Medicine & Palliative Care), Paul Desandre Anna Woodbury, MD

vii
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

The History of Pain Medicine

QUESTIONS
1. Which of the following anesthetics was administered for 3. Which of the following organizations is multidisci-
labor pain to Queen Victoria in 1874 and subsequently plinary, with members including but not limited to
cited as legitimizing analgesia during labor? physicians, dentists, psychologists, nurses, and physical
A. Chloroform therapists?
B. Nitrous oxide A. The American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM)
C. Cocaine B. The International Association for the Study of Pain
D. Morphine (IASP)
E. Procaine C. The International Spine Intervention Society
(SIS, formally ISIS)
2. Which of the following theories combines both physical D. The American Society of Interventional Pain
and psychological aspects of pain perception and is Physicians (ASIPP)
credited with revolutionizing pain research? E. The American Society of Regional Anesthesia
A. Pattern Theory (ASRA)
B. Sensory Interaction Theory
C. Gate Control Theory
D. The Fourth Theory of Pain
E. Specificity Theory

ANSWERS

I. A. Queen Victoria was given chloroform byjames Simp- techniques, are based on the Gate Control Theory.
son in 1847 for the delivery of her eighth child, at This theory is cited as ending the debate regarding
which point it became widely accepted that labor pain whether or not the cerebral cortex plays a role in pain.
should be medically managed. Prior to this, it was con— Development of imaging such as PET, fMRI, and
sidered against Christian beliefs to provide or accept SPECT later added credibility to this theory by demon—
analgesia during labor. strating the activation of the cerebral cortex in
response to pain.
2. C. The Gate Control Theory, developed by Melzack
and Wall in 1965, states that nonnociceptive signals 3. B. The International Association for the Study of Pain
can override nociceptive signals, and, as a result, the (IASP) is the largest multidisciplinary international as-
perception of pain is reduced or eliminated. Interven- sociation, with a goal of furthering pain research by in-
tions such as peripheral nerve stimulators, TENS units, tegrating professionals with different backgrounds and
and spinal cord stimulators, as well as biofeedback disciplines.
2 Taxonomy and Classification
of Chronic Pain Syndromes

QUESTIONS
1. The International Association for the Study of Pain D. Serves to exclude new syndromes such as those
(LASP) classification focuses on chronic pain; however, involving painful legs and moving toes
it includes syndromes that are not acute in nature, E. Is entirely psychogenic in nature
including which of the following?
A. Acute herpes zoster . Migraines fall under which of the following diagnostic
B. Burns with spasm categories?
C. Pancreatitis Pain Disorder, Somatoform Persistent

£115.09”?
D. Prolapsed intervertebral disk Pain Disorder, Psychological Origin
E. All of the above Pain Disorder, Malingering
Pain Disorder, Neuropathic
. The classification of chronic pain specifies five axes for Psychological or Behavioral Factor Associated with
describing pain. The second axis is the system most re- Disorders or Disease Classified Elsewhere
lated to the cause of the pain. Which of the following
are systems identified? 7. While defining pain, it is important to recognize that
A. The central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous pain is always a subjective state related to which of the
systems and special senses following?
B. Psychological and social function of the nervous Emotional state
PLUGS”?

system Physical state


C . Respiratory and vascular systems Psychiatric state
D. The musculoskeletal system and connective tissue Psychological state
E. All of the above Social state

3. Which of the following is NOT part of the diagnosis of 8. According to the IASP Taxonomy Committee, chronic
complex somatic symptom disorder? pain is defined as pain that has been present for what
A. Emotional disturbances length of time?
B. Health anxiety 3 months
HUGE”?

C. Excessive amount of time devoted to health concerns 12 months


D. Symptoms and concerns must have lasted 12 months 6 months
E. None of the above 24 months
None of the above
. Based on the ICD—lO classification, a predominant
complaint that is persistent, severe, and distressing that . Consensus generally exists on the meaning or
cannot be explained fully by a physiologic process or definition of which of the following terms?
physical disorder is categorized as: A. Condition
A. Pain Disorder, Somatoform Persistent B. Disease
B. Pain Disorder, Psychological Origin C. Disorder
C. Pain Disorder, Malingering D. Symptom
D. Pain Disorder, Neuropathic E. Syndrome
E. Psychological or Behavioral Factor Associated with
Disorders or Disease Classified Elsewhere 10. All of the following are listed by the IASP as relatively
generalized pain syndromes except:
. The definition of complex regional pain syndrome A. Fibromyalgia
(type 1): B. Phantom Pain
A. Is related to the sympathetic nervous system C. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
B. Is defined by its clinical phenomena D. Pain of Psychological Origin
C. Is defined solely for research purposes E. Radicular Pain
CHAPTER 2 — Taxonomy and Classification of Chronic Pain Syndromes 3

ANSWERS

l. E. The LASP (International Association for the Study of based on a theoretical relationship to the sympathetic
Pain) focuses on the classification of chronic pain syn- nervous system.
drome, but includes some acute syndromes for compar-
ison (and because these acute conditions can often be- E. Pain that is due to known or inferred psychophysio-
come chronic). Acute herpes zoster, burns with spasm, logic mechanisms, such as muscle tension pain or mi—
pancreatitis, and prolapsed intervertebral disk are all graines, but is believed to have a psychogenic cause
examples of acute pain syndromes that are included. falls under the ICD-lO classification of Psychological or
Behavioral Factor Associated with Disorders or Disease
. E. The classifications are divided into five axes: (l) ana- Classified Elsewhere.
tomic, (2) system, (3) temporal characteristics and pat-
tern, (4) intensity, (5) etiology. The second axis systems D. The definition of pain by the IASP is “an unpleasant
include (a) central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous sensory and emotional experience associated with ac-
and special senses; (b) psychological and social function; tual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of
(c) respiratory and vascular; (d) musculoskeletal and such damage.” This addresses the situation of patients
connective tissue; (e) cutaneous and subcutaneous tissue who appear to have pain but do not have obvious tissue
and glands, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and other damage and acknowledges that pain is always subjective
organs/viscera; and (g) unknown systems. and psychological, regardless of tissue damage.

. D. To be diagnosed with complex somatic symptom . C. Chronic pain is pain that persists beyond the normal
disorder by DSM-IV criteria, patients must report at healing process. Although the timeframe for this may
least one distressing somatic symptom as well as at least differ in practice and many types of pain become
one of “emotional/ cognitive/behavioral disturbances: chronic or persistent at 3 months, the 6—month division
high levels of health anxiety, disproportionate and was chosen for scientific purposes by the IASP as a
persistent concerns about the medical seriousness of good entry to the patient population treated by pain
the ‘symptoms’ and an excessive amount of time and physicians.
energy devoted to the symptoms and health concerns,”
for at least 6 months’ duration. . D. The words “disorder,” “syndrome,” and “disease”
are all in dispute regarding whether they reflect the
4. A. Persistent Somatoform Pain Disorder is persistent, true phenomena that physicians treat. However, the
severe, distressing pain that cannot be explained fully word “symptom” is not in dispute.
by physiologic mechanisms. Pain during schizophrenia
or depression is not included. 10. E. Relatively generalized syndromes include diffuse or
widespread pain that is poorly localized, such as rheu-
. B. The name of CRPS was changed from RSD based on matoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, polymyalgia rheumatica,
the advice of a special subcommittee. Steps taken have pain of psychological origin, syringomyelia, central
(1) defined CRPS type 1 by its clinical phenomena and pain, CRPS, phantom pain, stump pain, and periph-
(2) developed identifying diagnostic criteria for clinical eral neuropathy. Localized syndromes are divided by
agreement as well as for more stringent research pur- the area affected (head, neck, limbs, thorax, abdomen,
poses. The classification has also helped in understand- spinal/ radicular) .
ing relatively new syndromes. The old name, RSD, was
Organizing an Inpatient Acute
Pain Service

QUESTIONS
1. Which of the following factors is likely to influence C. 50%—60%
postoperative opioid requirements? D. 60%—70%
A. Preoperative pain sensitivity E. 80%—90%
B. Presurgical opioid tolerance or a history of drug
abuse . All of the following are examples of multimodal
C. Psychological factors, including catastrophizing and analgesia EXCEPT:
anxiety A. Neuraxial block and music therapy
D. Age B. IV morphine and fentanyl patch
E. All of the above C. PCA morphine and thoracic epidural
D. Acupuncture and TENS
2. Which is the best intervention for inhibition of surgical E. Femoral nerve block and stress reduction
stress responses?
A. Neuraxial steroids . Which is an important first step in organizing an inpa-
B. Neuraxial local anesthetics tient acute pain service?
C. Perineural local anesthetics A. Enlisting the support of hospital administration and
D. Systemic steroids defining resources
E. None of the above B. Assessment of need
C. Definition of service
. Postoperative pain is identified as one of the major D. Financing and business plan
fears of patients undergoing surgery. What percentage E. Nursing education
of patients consider it to be their primary fear?
A. 30%—40%
B. 40%—50%

ANSWERS

l. E. Achieving satisfactory acute pain management can be 4. B. A time-, energy—, and cost-effective acute pain pro-
challenging. It is often difficult to estimate a patient’s gram should optimally provide multimodal and multidis-
postoperative analgesic requirements. The following ciplinary interventions, including systemic and regional
factors may influence postoperative opioid require— pharmacologic treatments, stress reduction, transcuta—
ments: preoperative pain sensitivity, coexisting medical neous electrical nerve stimulation, music therapy, and
conditions and associated multiple drug administration, acupuncture. Extracting and integrating the relevant
presurgical opioid tolerance or a history of drug abuse, expertise from multiple health care disciplines often
psychological factors (including catastrophizing and allows individualized and optimized pain management.
anxiety), age, and type of surgery. Disciplines commonly involved include psychology,
pharmacy, physical therapy, and nutrition.
. B. Surgical stress responses are best inhibited by neur-
axial administration of local anesthetics; the adminis- 5. A. Enlisting the support of hospital administration and
tration of other agents—systemically, neuraxially, or defining resources are a Vital first step in organizing an
perineurally—appears to contribute little additional inpatient acute pain service. Once the challenge of or—
reduction of the endocrine (metabolic and catabolic) ganizing an acute pain service is accepted, assessment
stress response following operative procedures. of need is mandatory. Once the mission statement has
been formulated in response to the perceived institu-
. C. Inadequacy of pain relief has been highlighted as a tional and community needs, it is necessary to define
quality-of—care measure and a focus of patients’ con- the resources that will be required. The next step in the
cern. In a questionnaire survey, 57% of patients identi- process of organizing an inpatient acute pain service is
fied pain after surgery as their primary fear. to construct the business plan.
Measurement-Based
Stepped Care Approach to
Interdisciplinary Chronic
Pain Management

QUESTIONS
1. Which of the following is FALSE regarding the World 5. All of the following are aberrant drug behaviors
Health Organization cancer pain analgesic ladder? EXCEPT:
A. It is focused on the relief of intensity of cancer pain. A. Self-induced oversedation
B. It incorporates relief of suffering of the cancer pain B. Continuing medication despite report of feeling
patient. intoxicated
C. It emphasizes treating the intensity of pain even at C. Early refill requests
the expense of function. D. Calling the office to report worsening pain
D. It includes three steps in its analgesic strategy. E. Self-directed dose increase
E. The goal of the ladder is complete freedom from
pain. . The 2006 Trends and Risks of Opioid Use for Pain
(TROUP) study found opioid use to be higher in pa-
. Which the following pain treatment domains should tients with mental health disorders and what other
ideally be included in a measurements-based stepped health problem?
care pain treatment algorithm? A. Chronic pelvic pain
A. Physical and emotional function B. Substance use disorders
B. Quality of sleep C. Chronic back pain
C. Risk for chemical dependency D. Postsurgical patients
D. Self-reported quality of life E. Patients with whiplash history
E. All of the above
. All of the following are validated opioid risk scales
. The Patient Health Questionnaire 4 (PHQ—4) is a EXCEPT:
screening tool for depression and anxiety. Which of the A. ORT
following is NOT assessed on this questionnaire? B. COMM
A. Feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge C. SOAPP—R
B. Not being able to stop or control worrying D. DIRE
C. Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless E. DOLOPLUS
D. Having little interest or pleasure in doing things
E. Feeling better off dead 8. Which of the following is true about patient access to
pain specialists?
4. Which of the following is true about daily morphine A. There is an overabundance of pain care providers in
equivalent dose (MED) and relative risk of mortality in the United States today.
patients on chronic opioid therapy? B. There is currently a significant shortage in pain
A. As daily morphine equivalent dose increases, providers relative to the number of people with
mortality risk also increases in tandem. chronic pain.
B. As daily morphine equivalent dose increases, C. The number of patients with chronic pain is cur-
mortality risk tends to plateau. rently well matched to the number of board-certified
C. As daily morphine equivalent dose increases, providers in pain care.
mortality risk decreases. D. In the United States, fewer than 1000 physicians
D. The 50—100 mg morphine equivalent dose has the were board-certified in pain care between 2000 and
highest risk for mortality. 2009.
E. Using between 20 and 50 mg morphine equivalents E. The current shortage in pain care expertise leaves
per day does not increase mortality risk relative to more than 100,000 people with chronic pain for
less than 20 mg daily. every pain specialist in the United States.
6 PART 1 — GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

. Obstructive sleep apnea risk is thought to increase C. Behavioral health specialist


with the dose of opioid used. Which of the following D. Addiction medicine specialist
is NOT an additional risk factor for obstructive sleep E. Sleep medicine specialist
apnea based on STOP-BANG criteria?
. Hypertension 13. The concept of “adverse selection” in relation to
mvow>

. Snoring substance use disorders and chronic pain opioid


. BMI greater than 35 prescribing argues which of the following:
. Age less than 50 A. The patients at highest opioid risk are being
. Male gender prescribed the highest opioid doses.
B. The patients with highest socioeconomic status are
10. According to the model of measurement—based being prescribed the highest opioid doses.
stepped care, referral to a behavioral health specialist C. The patients with lowest opioid needs are being
is indicated when all of the following are present prescribed the lowest opioid doses.
EXCEPT: D. The patients at highest opioid risk are being
PHQ—Q 2 15 prescribed the lowest opioid doses.
FCC???

PHQ—4 2 5 E. The patients at lowest opioid risk are being


Suicidal ideation prescribed the highest opioid doses.
PTSD
Anxiety 14. What is the morphine equivalent dose (MED) that
prompts a referral to a pain specialist according to
11. A 28-year-old male with chronic pain presents to your the stepped care model?
clinic. Opioid risk screening reveals a personal and A. 0—19 mg MED
family history of cocaine use as well as a psychological B. 20—49 mg MED
history of anxiety. According to the stepped care C. 50—79 mg MED
model, he should be referred to see: D. 80—119 mg MED
A. Pain physician E. Greater than 120 mg MED
B. Physiatrist
C. Behavioral health specialist 15. Physical medicine and rehabilitation referral is
D. Addiction medicine specialist prompted by all of the following EXCEPT:
E. Sleep medicine specialist A. Disability greater than 4 weeks
B. On-the—job pain interference
12. A primary care physician is treating a 26-year-old C. Ineffective return—to—work plan
female with chronic diffuse pain of unclear etiology, D. Roland Morris > 12/ 24
unresponsive to 3 months of conservative management E. Obesity
including opioid escalation. According to the stepped
care model, she should be referred to see:
A. Pain physician
B. Physiatrist

ANSWERS

1. B. The WHO cancer pain analgesic ladder is focused 6. B. Presence of substance use disorder in addition to
strictly on alleviating the intensity of pain and does not mental health disorders predisposed patients to higher
incorporate suffering of the cancer pain patient in its opioid use in the TROUP study.
analgesic strategy. Other answer choices listed are true
statements regarding the ladder. 7. E. The first four options are validated opioid risk
screening tools: Opioid Risk Tool (ORT), the Screener
2. E. All of the listed pain treatment domains should and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain—Revised
ideally be included in a stepped care pain treatment (SOAPP—R) ; the Current Opioid Misuse Measure
algorithm. (COMM); and the Diagnosis, Intractability, Risk, and
Efficacy (DIRE). The DOLOPLUS scale, though vali-
3. E. The question regarding suicidality comes from the dated, is used for behavioral pain assessment in elderly
PHQ—Q screening tool rather than the simpler PHQ—4 with verbal communication problems, not for opioid
questionnaire. risk screening.

4. A. Relative risk of mortality with chronic opioid therapy . B. There is currently a significant shortage of
increases in parallel with escalating morphine equiva- board-certified pain physicians in the United States
lent dose. relative to the number of patients with chronic pain.

5. D. Contacting the office to report worsening pain is . D. Age greater than 50 is a risk factor for OSA per the
considered appropriate behavior meriting reevaluation. STOP-BANG criteria.
CHAPTER 4 — Measurement-Based Stepped Care Approach to Interdisciplinary Chronic Pain Management

10. E. While anxiety is often associated with chronic pain, 13. A. The patients at highest opioid risk are being
its presence alone is not considered sufficient for psy- prescribed the highest opioid doses.
chiatrist referral according to the stepped care model
unless deemed poorly controlled despite conservative 14. E. Greater than 120 mg MED.
measures.
15. E. All are true except obesity, which is one of the risk
11. D. This patient has an opioid risk tool score 28 and factors for sleep medicine referral.
thus merits referral to an addiction medicine specialist.

12. A. This patient merits referral to a pain medicine


specialist for further evaluation.
5 The Health Care Policy
of Pain Management

QUESTIONS
1. Which of these statements is part of the International basic safety profile and pharmacokinetics of the drug
Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) Declaration of in human subjects?
Montreal? A. Preclinical Investigational New Drug (IND) application
A. Only pain that has been objectively verified must be B. Phase I
treated. C. Phase II
B. Pain must be treated by a medical doctor specialty- D. Phase III
trained in pain management. E. Phase IV
C. Patients should receive analgesia based on their
ability to pay. 3. Which of the following is NOT identified as a barrier to
D. Access to effective pain management is a basic access to pain treatment around the world?
human right. A. Education of patient population
E. Patients must have a history negative for substance B. High cost of treatment
abuse to qualify for opioids. C. Lack of government policy on pain treatment and
drug supply
2. Which of the following phases of the Food and Drug D. Poor training of health care workers
Administration Center for Drug Evaluation and Re— E. Fear among health care workers of legal action
search (FDA CDER) approval process focuses on the

ANSWERS

I. D. The Declaration of Montreal, published in 2010, states 0 Phase III: Confirmation of the safety and effective-
that effective pain management is a basic human right. ness of the drug, its dosages, and drug interactions
It underscores the importance of government to enact in 1000—4000 human subjects.
legislature that promotes access to pain management 0 Phase IV: New or expanded use for patient population
for all. It consists of three articles, including: and long—term risks vs. benefits.
0 Article I: The right of all people to have access to
pain management without discrimination. . A. Access to appropriate pain management worldwide
0 Article 2: The right of people in pain to have their remains largely inadequate. Seventy-eight percent of
pain acknowledged and to be informed about how morphine consumed in 2010 went to only six countries.
it can be assessed and managed. Inexpensive oral medications are unobtainable in many
0 Article 3: The right of all people with pain to have countries. Reasons cited include:
access to appropriate assessment and treatment 0 Failure of governments to put functioning drug supply
of the pain by adequately trained health care systems in place.
professionals. 0 Failure to enact policies on pain treatment and
palliative care.
2. B. The phases of the FDA CDER approval process are 0 Poor training of health care workers.
tiered as follows: 0 Existence of unnecessarily restrictive drug control
0 Preclinical IND application: Animal data used to regulations and practices.
justify testing of the drug in humans. 0 Fear among health care workers of legal sanctions
0 Phase I: Basic safety profile and pharmacokinetics of for legitimate medical practice.
the drug in 50—100 human subjects. 0 Unnecessarily high cost of pain treatment.
0 Phase II: Drug dosage, efficacy, and safety in 100—500
human subjects.
Quality Assessment and 6
Improvement and Patient
Safety in the Pain Clinic

QUESTIONS
1. The majority of errors that take place in health care are C. Lack of evidence-based benchmarks or national “best
due to which of the following? practices”
A. Patient factors D. Lack of cooperation from patients
B. System defects E. Lack of government regulation to support such
C. Provider carelessness programs
D. Equipment malfunction
E. Resource misallocation 3. Which of the following tools has been shown to signifi-
cantly lower the death rate, reduce patient complica-
2. Which of the following is identified as the biggest hurdle tions, and is especially helpful in emergencies?
to establishing Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) A. E-conferencing/ telecommuting
in pain medicine? B. Speech recognition software
A. Lack of additional reimbursement to justify higher C. Electronic prescriptions
quality care D. Safety checklist
B. Lack of support from hospital administration E. Patient portals

ANSWERS
1. B. According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), a ma- 3. D. Using a checklist has been shown to reduce patient
jority of errors in health care are more likely attributable complications, which is thought to be due to decreases
to system defects (as opposed to individual errors). in human error. Data shows that simply implementing a
safety checklist can substantially reduce patient mortality
2. C. Because evidence available in peer-reviewed litera- rates. Checklists are critical in emergency situations,
ture is insufficient for chronic pain interventions, estab- such as local anesthetic toxicity, where a checklist/
lishing a CQI in the field of pain medicine largely relies protocol should be readily available.
on consensus expert opinion instead.
Education, Training, and
Certification in Pain Medicine

QUESTIONS
1. Which of the following describes the design of current D. Introduction of devices to the market often outpaces
pain medicine training programs? practitioner familiarity.
Comprehensive and multidisciplinary E. Creation of new devices becomes cost prohibitive for
cow?

. Emphasis on pharmacologic-only treatment manufacturers.


Centered around principles from anesthesiology
. Incorporating multidisciplinary principles from three 3. Which of the following is a problem in using interven-
specialties including anesthesiology, psychiatry, and tional techniques in pain medicine?
neurology A. The procedures are only suitable for a small subset
E. Focus on objective physical exam findings of patients.
B. Randomized, controlled clinical trials are still lacking
2. Which of the following is a consequence of the Food for many interventional treatments.
and Drug Administration’s (FDA) 510(k) “substantially C. There is a lack of patient cooperation with adhering
similar device” process? to the schedule of frequency required.
A. There must be data from >1000 patients demonstrat- D. The complications from most of the procedures are
ing device efficacy. such that the risk outweighs the benefit.
B. There must be data from >1000 patients demon— E. Patients are unwilling to try novel procedures.
strating device safety.
C. Guideline stringency hinders device innovation.

ANSWERS

1. A. The original fellowship training programs in pain market if the FDA deems the risks and benefits are
medicine were extensions of the department of anesthe- comparable to a device that has been previously ap-
siology. Since that time, there has been a broadening proved. The FDA’s 510(k) “substantially similar device”
of specialties seeking training in pain medicine. In an process can require little additional efficacy data. In
effort to standardize and ensure quality of pain medi- some cases, practitioners are overwhelmed with new
cine training programs, four specialties have agreed to technology available and are not able to keep pace with
ACGME requirements for fellowship programs, includ- the skills and knowledge required to use the device.
ing anesthesiology, neurology, physical medicine and
rehabilitation, and psychiatry, since 2007. This collabo- 3. B. The trend in medicine favoring evidence—based therapy
ration between specialties echoes the views of the has highlighted a relative lack of randomized controlled
American Academy of Pain Medicine and the American trials in the pain medicine subspecialty to validate treat-
Board of Pain Medicine, emphasizing a multidisciplinary ments. At the same time, patients with chronic pain re-
and multimodal approach to pain medicine. quire treatment and are often willing to try novel proce—
dures. Practitioners must monitor their own outcomes to
. D. In order to expedite innovation and the introduc- aid in making decisions in patient care as well as use best
tion of new technology, devices can be cleared for judgment of risk vs. benefit for each individual patient.

10
BASIC CONSIDERATIONS

Pain Pathways: Peripheral,


Spinal, Ascending, and
Descending Pathways

QUESTIONS
1. What is the primary termination site for sensory integra- 5. Prolonged membrane hyperpolarization has what effect
tion in the pain pathway? on the role of GABA—B receptors?
A. Thalamus A. Change from inhibition to more inhibition
B. Medulla B. Change from inhibition to excitation
C. Basal ganglia C. Change from excitation to inhibition
D. Dorsal columns D. Increased threshold for depolarization
E. Frontal cortex E. No effect

. What are the small unmyelinated axonal fibers with slow 6. Which of the following is the primary afferent excitatory
conduction velocities that relay noxious input from the neurotransmitter?
skin and other tissues to the central nervous system? A. Substance P
A. A-delta fibers B. CGRP
B. A—beta fibers C. IL—I
C. C fibers D. Glutamate
D. Free nerve endings E. Norepinephrine
E. Dorsal root ganglia
. Noxious cutaneous input is relayed by which of the
The dorsal horn is anatomically organized in laminae. following lamina projection neurons as the crossed
Small unmyelinated fibers terminate in laminae , spinothalamic tract pathway traveling in the lateral
while large myelinated fibers terminate in laminae and ventrolateral white matter en route to the VPL?
A. II—III, IV—V
B. I—II, III—V
C. III—V, I—II
D. II—IV, I—III
E. V, I—II

. The substantia gelatinosa is associated with which of the . The gray matter of the dorsal horn includes the following
following lamina? Rexed laminae:
A. Lamina I A. I—IV
B. Lamina II B. I—VI
C. Lamina III C. II—IV
D. Lamina IV D. II—VI
E. Lamina V E. I—X

ll
12 PART 2 — BASIC CONSIDERATIONS

9. All of the following are considered ascending medial 10. Which of the following structures most likely contrib-
pain pathways EXCEPT: ute to memory and learning related to painful stimuli
A. Spinoamygdalar as indicated by fMRI imaging studies?
B. Spinohypothalamic A. The VPL thalamus, SI, and S11 cortices
C. Spinoreticular B. The ACC, cerebellum, and lentiform nucleus
D. Spinothalamic C. The insula, cerebellum, and frontal cortex
E. Medial spinothalamic D. The ACC, PCC, SI, and S11 cortices
E. The insula, lentiform nucleus, and periaqueductal
gray

ANSWERS

I. A. The primary termination site for sensory integration D. Glutamate is an excitatory amino acid and plays
is the thalamus. Peripheral nociceptors transmit nox— key roles in neural activation throughout the nervous
ious information to second-order neurons at the spinal system. It is the primary neurotransmitter in afferent
cord and brainstem levels, which are then sent by pro- nociception.
jection neurons of the pain system to integration sites
in the brainstem. Though the primary site for integrat- C. Noxious cutaneous input from lamina I, IV, and V
ing sensory information is the thalamus, many other is relayed by projection neurons along the crossed STT
brain structures are also involved. (spinothalamic tract) in the lateral and ventrolateral
white matter to the VPL (ventral posterolateral) and
. C. C fibers (group IV) are small unmyelinated nocicep- posterior thalamus.
tors with conduction velocities less than 2.5 m/ sec.
A—delta fibers (group III) are small fibers with a conduc- . B. Laminae I—X are all considered gray matter, but the
tion velocity of 4—30 m/ sec and conduct faster because dorsal horn includes only laminae I—VI. Some deeper
of a thin myelin sheath produced by Schwann cells. laminae are also involved in nociceptive processing.
Both of these axonal fibers carry noxious input from
tissue to the CNS. . D. The spinoamygdalar, spinohypothalamic, medial spi-
nothalamic and spinoreticular pathways, and connec-
. B. Small unmyelinated C—fiber nociceptor endings for tions to the anterior cingulate and prefrontal and insu-
somatic sensation are distributed mainly in focused lar limbic cortices are all medial pain pathways. The
areas of laminae I and II, though visceral afferents can spinothalamic tract is a nonoverlapping but parallel
extend multiple segments and are widely dispersed in lateral pathway.
ipsilateral laminae I, II, V, and X, or contralateral V and
X. Large myelinated A—beta fibers carrying nonnocicep- 10. C. Centers for higher processing can modulate aware—
tive input terminate in laminae III—V. ness of and responses to pain as well as regulate emo-
tional, autonomic, and motor responses. The insula,
B. Interneurons of lamina II (substantia gelatinosa) syn- cerebellum, and frontal cortex contribute to avoidance
thesize inhibitory (GABA) and excitatory (glutamate) behaviors and other types of memory and learning re-
neurotransmitters. Opioid receptors are also found on lated to the painful stimulus. The VPL thalamus and
these nerve cells. SI and 811 cortices are somatosensory—proeessing regions.
The ACC (anterior cingulate cortex) may be involved
. B. GABA (y-aminobutyric acid) primarily reduces neu- in interpreting emotional significance of pain via the
ronal excitability and provides presynaptic inhibition, limbic system.
though with prolonged hyperpolarization/nociceptive
input, GABA—B receptors can change their role from
inhibition to excitation, leading to a positive feedback
loop that can establish chronic pain.
A Review of Pain-Processing
Pharmacology

QUESTIONS
1. What are the two key inhibitory neurotransmitters? Which of the following receptors are activated by cold
A. NMDA, glycine or menthol?
B. Somatostatin, substance P A. TRPM8
C. AMPA, glutamate B. TRPVl
D. GABA, glycine C. ASIC
E. Somatostatin, NMDA D. TRPV2
E. TRPVS
. Following a peripheral nerve injury, ongoing pain from
ectopic activity is due to the up—regulation of what type . Which of the following protein kinases phosphory—
of channels? lates the NMDA receptor to lower its threshold for
A. Calcium activation?
B. Sodium A. PKA
C. Potassium B. PKC
D. Chloride C. MAPK
E. Fluoride D. AMPA
E. All of the above
. All of the following are effects of substance P binding
EXCEPT: . Blockage of the facilitated state called “wind-up” has
A. Mast cell degranulation been reported with the use of:
B. Swelling of skin A. Opioids
C. Local erythema B. Prostaglandins
D. Vomiting C. Nitric oxide
E. Vasoconstriction D. NMDA antagonists
E. 5-HT3 inhibitors
. After nerve injury there is an increase in axonal excit—
ability that is associated with which of the following? . Chemical injury to a nerve is MOST LIKELY to be
A. Up—regulation of potassium channels and down- characterized by:
regulation of sodium channels A. Reddening at the site of the stimulus
B. Up—regulation of sodium channels and down-regulation B. An initial burst of afferent firing
of potassium channels C. Increased capillary permeability
C. Down-regulation of sodium and potassium channels D. Local arterial dilation
D. Up—regulation of sodium and potassium channels E. Regional hyperalgesia
E. Up—regulation of calcium channels and down-
regulation of sodium channels 10. Which of the following occurs after nerve injury?
A. Increased local catecholamine release
. All of the following mediators are released with tissue B. Alpha-adrenergic antagonists increase excitation of
injury and depolarize and sensitize primary afferent the injured axon
terminals EXCEPT: C. Down-regulation of alpha-l-adrenergic receptor
A. TNF—alpha expression
B. Substance P D. Decreased local catecholamine release
C. Bradykinin E. Decreased activity at the DRG or injured neuroma
D. Histamine
E. Glycine

l3
IA PART 2 — BASIC CONSIDERATIONS

ANSWERS

1. D. GABA and glycine act on GABA—A/GABA—B and gly— 5. E. Following tissue injury, a variety of cytokines and
cine receptors, reducing excitation. Glycine is an inhibi- inflammatory neurotransmitters are released, leading
tory amino acid. Somatostatin is classified as an inhibi- to sensitization. Glycine, however, is an inhibitory neu-
tory hormone with a range of functions throughout the rotransmitter and has not been shown to result in
body including modulating peripheral inflammation, increased afferent sensitization.
the gastrointestinal tract, and the brain. The NMDA
(N—methyl—D—aspartate) receptor requires glutamate or 6. A. Transducer channels on afferent terminals have dif—
aspartate binding for activation. Substance P contributes ferent sensitivities to specific stimuli. Some channels
to enhanced nociception. AMPA (d-amino-S-hydroxy- transducing a physical sensation are also activated by
5-methyl—4—isoxazolepropionate) receptors, like NMDA chemicals and can reproduce the physical sensation
receptors, are activated by glutamate. Glutamate is a main when exposed to the chemical. For example, the
excitatory neurotransmitter. GABA (”y-aminobutyric acid) TRPVl (>43OC) vanilloid receptor is activated by
primarily reduces neuronal excitability and provides presyn— capsaicin (heat sensation), while the TRPM8 (QB—28°C)
aptic inhibition, though with prolonged hyperpolarization/ receptor is activated by menthol (cold sensation), and
nociceptive input, GABA—B receptors can change their the TRPA (<17 oC) receptor is activated by mustard oil.
role from inhibition to excitation, leading to a positive
feedback loop that can establish chronic pain. B. It has been shown that PKG (protein kinase C)
phosphorylates sites on NMDA and AMPA receptors,
B. Sodium channel expression is increased in neuromas which can lower threshold for activation and increase
and dorsal root ganglia following nerve injury. Lidocaine membrane permeability.
can block ectopic activity and attenuate hyperpathic
states after nerve injury. There are a variety of sodium E. Through the bulbospinal pathway, C fibers make
channels in primary afferent neurons (Navl.6—Navl.9). contact with neurons that project into the brainstem
Navl.8 and Navl.9 are resistant to a sodium channel contacting serotonergic neurons, which then project
blocker (TTX) and found primarily in G fibers. Variants to the spinal dorsal horn contacting lamina V neurons.
such as Navl.8 are important because, for example, Cells of lamina V in the deep dorsal horn are noted
Navl.8 reverses nerve-injury—evoked pain states in animal for their ability to display a state known as “wind-up.”
models. Mutations in Navl.7 in humans can cause Blockage of this pathway using 5-HT?) inhibitors has
extremely painful conditions, while loss-of—function been reported to reduce “wind-up” facilitation.
mutations can lead to prominent insensitivity. Gain of
function mutations (i.e., to the sodium ion channel B. Following nerve injury, afferent axons display an
alpha subunit gene SCN9A) can result in syndromes initial burst of afferent firing followed by electrical
like erythromelalgia, characterized by severe periodic silence for hours—days and finally the appearance of
pain from blocked blood vessels. spontaneous bursting activity for hours-days. This is
correlated to an initial degeneration of the injured
. E. Substance P acts on the neurokinin—l (NK—l) recep- nerve followed by new sprouting. Answer choices A, C,
tor and is involved in inflammation, pain perception D, and E are associated with tissue injury.
(along with glutamate), and the vomiting centers.
Substance P is also a potent vasodilator in conjunction 10. A. Stimulation of these postganglionic axons and
with nitric oxide. increased catecholamine release can excite the injured
axon and DRG, but this activation can be blocked by
B. Following nerve injury, sodium channel expression alpha—adrenergic antagonism.
has been found to be significantly increased, while po-
tassium (K+) currents have been shown to be reduced,
suggesting down-regulation of K+ channels.
Pain and Brain Changes

QUESTIONS

1. The TRPVl receptor differentiates which type(s) of D. Magnetoencephalography (MEG)


pain? E. None of the above
A. Noxious heat
B. Acidity . A 32-year-old female underwent cesarean section 1 year
G. Gapsaicin prior to presenting to your office. She has a well-healed,
D. All of the above low, transverse scar. She now presents to the pain clinic
E. None of the above with severe pain at the far right end of the scar. She de-
scribes the pain as intermittent sharp, burning, shoot-
. The dominant excitatory neurotransmitter in all ing pain, exacerbated by touch. On exam, you detect a
nociceptors is: knot at the right distal portion of the incision, and
A. Substance P upon light touch she jumps off the table and curses at
B. Serotonin you. What is the MOST LIKELY way you would describe
G. Acetylcholine her pain:
D. Glutamate A. Abnormal/Hyperalgesia
E. Norepinephrine B. Abnormal/Allodynia
C. Neuropathic pain
Intracranial recordings show that the earliest pain- D. Inflammatory pain
induced brain activity occurs where? E. Visceral pain
A. SI cortex
B. SII cortex . It’s determined that the above patient has a neuroma.
G. Thalamus What INCORRECTLY describes the pain that she’s
D. Hypothalamus experiencing?
E. Dorsal horn A. Neuromas generate spontaneous ectopic activity that
directly contributes to the perception of spontaneous
. Enhanced sensation and neural transmission at sites pain.
remote from the site of injury is referred to as: B. Neuromas are sensitive to temperature, mechanical,
A. Hyperalgesia and chemical stimuli.
B. Primary sensitization C. C—type nerve fibers are involved in spontaneous
G. Secondary sensitization ectopic activity.
D. Desensitization D. A—type nerve fibers are involved in spontaneous
E. Allodynia ectopic activity.
E. Noradrenergic sensitization results in separation of
. Which of the following is considered a nonnociceptive sympathetic and sensory neuronal activity.
touch afferent receptor that, following central sensitiza-
tion, may carry peripheral pain signals to the CNS? 9. Which of the following best describes the mechanisms
A. A—delta involved in sensitization?
B. A-beta A. There is decreased release of excitatory neurotrans-
G. G fibers mitters such as glutamate and substance P.
D. A—gamma B. Opioid receptors are down-regulated with neuro—
E. Schwann cells pathic pain.
C. Opioid receptors are down-regulated with inflamma-
. What electrical study or imaging tool can be used to tory pain.
verify the presence of ongoing spontaneous pain in a D. Potassium chloride (KGl) transporter down-regulation
patient? increases the effects of GABA release.
A. Electroencephalogram (EEG) E. Release of substance P and other peptides closes
B. Positron emission tomography (PET) the N—methyl—D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate-gated
G. Functional MRI (fMRI) channel.

15
16 PART 2 — BASIC CONSIDERATIONS

10. The dimension of pain thought to include interaction 13. You are performing a neurologic sensory exam. The
with previous experience and involve the prefrontal patient shows normal sensation to light touch in the
cortex is termed: distributions of the radial and median nerves and in-
A. Sensory-discriminative creased sensitivity to pinprick. What most accurately
B. Cognitive-evaluative describes this phenomenon?
C. Affective-motivational A. Allodynia
D. Behavioral-cortical B. Hypesthesia
E. Emotional—receptive C. Paresthesia
D. Hyperalgesia
11. Which of the following is true of placebo analgesia? E. Secondary sensitization
A. It cannot be blocked by naloxone.
B. The endogenous opioid system is involved. 14. Chronic pain conditions are consistently associated
C. The somatosensory cortex is involved. with decreased activity in which brain structure(s)?
D. There is no correspondence between placebo A. Prefrontal cortex
analgesia and reward. B. Thalamus
E. All of the above C. Reticular activating system
D. Pons
12. Which of the following is TRUE regarding bone E. All of the above
cancer pain?
A. Substance P and other neuropeptides, such as 15. Based on brain-imaging studies, which of the following
CGRP, are unregulated. is implicated as a cause for the autonomic symptoms
B. Up—regulation of galanin and neuropeptide Y experienced in cluster headaches?
occurs. A. Activation of the first (ophthalmic) division of the
C. Neuropathic pain and bone cancer pain have trigeminal nerve
similar changes with substance P and CGRP. B. Activation of cranial parasympathetic outflow from
D. The greatest change observed in the spinal cord in the seventh cranial nerve
response to metastatic bone cancer pain is activa— C. Cortical spreading depression
tion of astrocytes. D. Activation of the trigeminovascular system
E. All of the above E. Hyperemia in the occipital cortex

ANSWERS

l. D. The TRPVl receptor responds to stimuli including 7. B. While the pain may be described as inflammatory
heat, acidity, and hot pepper capsaicin. These stimuli and/ or neuropathic as well, the patient is clearly expe—
can enhance each other. riencing an abnormal response to mechanical light
touch. This would be described as tactile allodynia, an
2. D. Glutamate is the dominant excitatory nociceptor experience where a typically innocuous sensation such
neurotransmitter. as light touch becomes painful.

3. B. Intracranial recordings show that the earliest pain— 8. E. Neuromas are sensitive to multiple sensations and
induced signals originate near the SH cortex, implicat— generate spontaneous ectopic activity from both A and
ing SH and adjacent insula regions as the primary brain C fibers. Noradrenergic sensitization can result in cou-
areas for receiving nociceptive input. pling of sympathetic and sensory inputs.

4. C. Secondary sensitization leads to enhanced neural 9. B. In sensitization, opioid receptors are down—regulated
transmission distant from the site of injury, thought to with neuropathic pain, though C) up—regulated with
result from reorganized spinal cord nociceptive circuitry. inflammatory pain; A) there is an increased release of
Primary sensitization, in contrast, leads to increased excitatory neurotransmitters; D) KCl receptor down-
transmission near the site of injury. regulation decreases the effects of GABA release; E)
these peptides open the NMDA channel, leading to
5. B. A—delta and C fibers are the primary nociceptors in increased sensitization.
healthy organisms. A—beta afferents are large nonnoci—
ceptive, heavily myelinated touch receptors. However, 10. B. Traditionally, pain perception consists of the following
following central sensitization, input from these touch dimensions: sensory-discriminative, cognitive-evaluative,
receptors can result in the sensation of pain. and affective-motivational. The cognitive-evaluative di—
mension includes previous experiences and cognitive
6. E. Currently, there is no objective measure of brain activ— influences on perception of pain intensity and, tradi-
ity that can conclusively determine whether an individual tionally, the prefrontal cortex is thought to be involved
is in pain. However, fMRI and PET are able to provide in this dimension. Note: Neuroimaging studies have
valuable information regarding the pathologic process— assessed paradigms that do not easily fit into these
ing of nociception and pain perception. three traditional dimensions and tend to discuss
CHAPTER 10 — Pain and Brain Changes 17

cortical areas and brain regions involved in specific sensation. E) Secondary sensitization is enhanced sensa-
functions instead. tion at sites distant from the site of injury.

ll. B. The placebo response involves the endogenous opi- 14. B. Clinical brain imaging studies show reduced activ-
oid system and can be blocked by naloxone. Studies ity in and transmission through the thalamus for
have shown a correspondence between placebo anal- chronic clinical pain (as opposed to experimentally
gesia and reward pathways. The PAG and amygdala are induced acute pain). There is, however, increased ac-
involved, as well as the prefrontal/rostral ACC. tivity in the prefrontal cortex in chronic pain. These
changes support the idea that chronic pain condi—
12. D. A unique set of neurochemical changes occur at the tions are associated with increased involvement of
level of the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion for brain regions for cognition and emotion. Meanwhile,
each type of pain: inflammatory, neuropathic, or cancer the sensory and nociceptive regions of the brain (thala-
pain. The greatest change in metastatic bone cancer mus) show decreased activity. There is also a reduc-
pain is activation of astrocytes at the spinal cord. tion in neocortical gray matter.

13. D. Hyperalgesia describes the abnormally increased 15. B. Activation of cranial parasympathetic outflow from
response to pain for a stimulus that would typically cause cranial nerve VII is thought to result in the autonomic
pain, but not to the extent observed. A) Allodynia de- symptoms in cluster headaches. A) Activation of V1 is
scribes a painful response to a normally nonnoxious thought to mediate the excruciating unilateral pain
stimulus such as light touch. B) Hypesthesia describes in cluster headaches. Answer choices C—E apply to
diminished sensation. C) Paresthesia describes abnormal migraine headaches.
An Introduction to
Pharmacogenetics In Pain
Management: Knowledge of
How Pharmacogenomics May
Affect Clinical Care

QUESTIONS
1. Polymorphism of an enzyme involved in tetrahydrobiop- C. Codeine
terin (BH4) synthesis in primary sensory neurons of the D. Oxycodone
dorsal root ganglion following nerve injury results in E. Hydrocodone
which of the following?
A. Increased sensitivity to painful stimuli . Analgesics that require breakdown in the liver through
B. Reduced sensitivity to painful stimuli CYP45O to achieve analgesic effects are metabolized by
C. Increased sensitivity to analgesic medications which of the following?
D. Reduced sensitivity to analgesic medications A. CYP1A2
E. Reduced ability to heal following injury B. CYP2D6
C. CYP2C9
2. Which of the following phenotypes is consistent with D. CYP2C19
either multiple copies of a functional allele or an allele E. CYP3A4
with increased gene transcription?
A. Nonmetabolizer . Which of the following is the name for a field of medi-
B. Poor metabolizer cine that includes a patient’s genetic background and
C. Intermediate metabolizer uses the information to predict how a patient will
D. Extensive metabolizer respond in terms of efficacy and side effects when
E. Ultra-rapid metabolizer given a medication?
A. Pharmacognosy
3. A patient with known mutation in the CYP450 enzyme B. Pharmacokinetics
requires analgesic medication. Which of the following C. Pharmacogenomics
are NOT metabolized through this system at standard D. Genesiology
prescribed doses? E. Pharmacodynamics
A. Hydromorphone
B. Tramadol

ANSWERS
1. B. Patients with increased pain tolerance are thought 2. E. Classification of phenotypes for enzymes includes the
to have a polymorphism (a genetic variant) in GTP cy- following:
clohydrolase, which is the rate-limiting enzyme involved 0 Poor metabolizers: Two nonfunctional enzyme alleles.
in tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) synthesis. BH4 has been 0 Intermediate metabolizers: At least one reduced
shown to be involved in regulation of inflammatory and functional allele.
neuropathic pain. It is estimated that this polymor- 0 Extensive metabolizers: At least one functional allele.
phism is associated with increased pain tolerance and is 0 Ultra-rapid metabolizers: Multiple copies of a func-
present in 15% of the population. Similarly, reduced tional allele or an allele with a promoter mutation
pain tolerance has been linked to polymorphisms in that confers increased transcription of that gene.
other genes. Different responses to analgesics among Phenotype variations can be responsible for the vast
patients can be attributed to genetic variance as well. difference in clinical effect as well as side effects

18
CHAPTER 1 l — An Introduction to Pharmacogenetics in Pain Management: Knowledge of How Pharmacogenomics May AtfectCIinical Care 19

between two patients taking the same weight-based form, for example conversion of codeine to the active
dosage of medication. metabolite morphine.

3. A. Although 40%—50% of medications are metabolized . C. By preemptively identifying patients at risk for ad-
in the liver through the CYP450 family of enzymes, verse side effects or poor efficacy from medication, the
three opioids are not, including hydromorphone, field of pharmacogenomics may improve health care
morphine, and oxymorphone. outcomes and efficiency, including higher success rate
after medication administration, lower incidence of side
. B. Analgesics that are metabolized by CYP450 include effects, and reduction of cost. As a relatively new field, it
codeine, dextromethorphan, oxycodone, and tramadol. shows promise in terms of tailoring medication regi-
Prodrugs require CYP2D6 for conversion to the active mens to each patient.
2 Psychosocial Aspects
of Chronic Pain

QUESTIONS
1. Chronic pain is best understood using which of the C. Positive reinforcement
following models? D. Both A and B
A. Biomedical E. All of the above
B. Biopsychosocial
C. Psychogenic . What is an exaggerated negative orientation toward
D. Secondary-gain actual or anticipated pain experiences?
E. Both A and C A. Self-efficacy
B. Fear avoidance
. In regards to psychological factors that play an important C. Pain catastrophizing
role in the experience of pain, which of the following is D. Anxiety
an affective factor rather than a cognitive factor? E. Negative reinforcement
A. Anger
B. Catastrophic thinking 6. Your patient had significant pain following his physical
C. Beliefs about pain therapy sessions, and now every time he drives by the
D. Self-efficacy facility he becomes tense and his back pain increases in
E. Coping severity. This is considered:
A. Classical conditioning
3. All of the following are examples of passive coping strat- B. Operant conditioning
egies EXCEPT: C. Negative reinforcement
A. Inactivity D. Punishment
B. Distraction E. Fear avoidance
C. Medications
D. Alcohol . According to one study, the target of a patient’s anger
E. Avoidance was most commonly acknowledged to be the:
A. Health care worker
4. According to the operant conditioning principles of re- B. Attorney
inforcement, the following response to a specific behav- C. Insurance company
ior will likely decrease the probability of the behavior D. Patient themselves
recurring: E. Significant other
A. Neglect
B. Negative reinforcement

A NSWE RS

1. B. In chronic pain, there may or may not be an identifi— the response to the illness and treatments, can be
able pathologic process or organic cause. Pain can also understood more completely by using this model.
take a significant emotional toll on the patient leading
to feelings of demoralization, helplessness, hopeless- 2. A. Affective factors are emotions, and in chronic pain,
ness, depression, and anxiety, to name a few. Since peo- they are mainly negative emotions such as depression,
ple rarely live in complete isolation, there is a larger anxiety, and even anger. The other factors listed are
social context that impacts and influences a person’s cognitive factors, which are involved in how someone
chronic pain. Given the multidimensional nature of thinks, perceives, and reasons. Catastrophic thinking is
chronic pain, a biopsychosocial approach is best used defined as an exaggerated negative orientation toward
to understand this condition. This model focuses on the actual or anticipated pain experiences. It can also be
illness as a whole, which is the result of a complex inter- described as a set of maladaptive beliefs. Beliefs about
action of biologic, psychological, and social variables. the meaning of pain influence a person’s expectations
Both the patient’s perception of his/her pain, as well as about pain and can be either positive or negative.

2O
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Worora, known vernacularly as “wirrauwa,” is beyond doubt an
indigenous evolution. It is much like a bushman’s billycan in shape—
a cylindrical vessel closed at one end and with a handle at the other,
measuring from four to twelve inches in height, and from six to nine
inches in width. A circular piece of woolly-butt bark is cut for the
base, and this is surrounded by another sheet which forms the
cylinder. The joints are carefully stitched together with threads of split
cane, using a bone-awl to prick the holes; then melted resin from the
eucalyptus tree is applied over the seam to render it water-tight. The
edge of the open mouth may be strengthened by cross-stitching and
applying resin. The handle is made of human hair-string, several
pieces of which are threaded diametrically across the open end of
the bucket, through holes previously made with a bone-awl, and tied.
The outer surfaces of the vessel are often painted. The usual device
consists of alternate bars of red and white or red and black, joined at
the top and bottom by horizontal lines of red; occasionally the whole
surface may be splashed or daubed with white, or the above designs
may be embellished with regularly spaced dots and “emu tracks.”
Lastly we shall briefly refer to the skin water-bag which is used (or
has been used) by the desert tribes of central Australia, from central
Western Australia to Western Queensland. A kangaroo, wallaby,
euro, or dingo is killed and the animal’s skin removed almost in toto
by making a circular cut around its neck, and, whilst one or two men
hold on to the head, others detach the skin from the carcase and pull
it off inside-out. The neck-hole forms the mouth of the bag, but all the
other openings are tied, stitched, or pinned together. The limbs are
cut off near the paws, the tail near its root, and the resulting holes
securely tied with string. The limb-pieces are tied together and act as
straps to assist the native carrying the bag when filled with water.
To fill these vessels with water, bailers are available either in the
form of specially constructed or of naturally occurring objects; no
matter which they are, they usually also answer the purpose of
drinking cups. Along the north coast of Australia the large melon
shell is perhaps the handiest; it is either used as it is found or its
inner whorls and columella are broken away, leaving just the
spacious outer shell to hold the water like a bowl. The same remarks
apply to the large Fusus pricei, and other molluscs.
The Narrinyerri and other tribes south of Adelaide used human
calvaria as drinking vessels. The facial skeleton of a complete skull
was broken away so as only to leave the brain-box; and this held the
water.
The broken shells of the large boabab nuts are similarly used in
the Northern Kimberleys of Western Australia, and now and then the
broken shell of the emu egg also makes a very serviceable cup.
A miniature bark-cooleman is constructed by the Wongapitcha,
Aluridja, and Arunndta tribes, like that described on page 92, about
eight inches long and half as wide, which serves the purpose of a
bailer, drinking-vessel, fire-shovel, and special food-carrier. It is
strongly convex lengthwise, and therefore comparatively deep.
The Bathurst Islanders tear or cut a piece of bark from a tree,
usually the ti-tree or “paper-bark,” out of which they fashion a cup.
The piece of bark measures about twelve inches in length, and eight
in width. It is first folded longitudinally at about its middle, and then
both ends of the doubled piece are folded transversely at about one-
quarter the whole length. The overturned parts of the inner sheet of
the first fold are clasped between the fingers on the inside and the
thumb on the outside, when the cup is ready for use.
The natural water supplies available over so vast an expanse of
territory as is embraced by the continent of Australia and its
subjacent islands, occur, as one might have expected, in great
variety. There is no need for us to consider such familiar supplies as
rivers, creeks, lakes, billabongs, waterholes, and springs; we shall
just briefly consider a few of the more uncommon cases, which are
of special interest. The native has a wonderful instinct for locating
hidden supplies of water; and many a European wanderer has
perished in the Australian bush, within a stone’s throw of the life-
saving fluid, all for the want of that gift, which to the primitive
inhabitant of the desert central regions means his very existence.
Along the superficially dry, sandy beds of “rivers” in arid Australia,
he is able to pick sites, at which, by shallow digging with his hands
and yam-stick, he can in quick time produce a “native well,” sufficient
to supply the needs of all the camp. The water is often exposed
within a foot or two of the surface, but at times he has to dig to a
depth of from five to six feet, which so far as my experience goes
seems to be the limit. When not in use, or when the camp moves on,
the natives always take care to cover the mouth of the well in order
that wild animals cannot reach the water and pollute it. When the
well is deep, its sides are made secure with pieces of timber and
brushwood, and cross-pieces are left to serve as a ladder whereby
the native can attain the water. Similar wells are constructed in the
catchment basins adjacent to the hills.

PLATE XII

Juvenile Types.

1. Full-face, female, Wongkanguru tribe.


2. Profile, female, Aluridja tribe.

Rock-holes in granite (Musgrave Ranges), quartzite (Krichauff


Ranges), or limestone (Nullarbor Plains) are favoured on account of
the cool, clear water which they generally contain. Where such are of
a cavernous nature, and opening from a bare inclined surface, the
natives often build a small bank of clay across the slope to direct the
flow of water, resulting from a downpour, towards the hole. A unique
variety of this type was discovered by us at Ullbönnalenna, east of
the Musgrave Ranges. Through a hole in the barren slope of gneiss,
a communication has been established by atmospheric denudation
with a small reservoir below. To obtain the water contained in it, the
natives keep a broom-shaped piston handy, with which they pump
the fluid to the surface, as required. The piston is merely a rod, about
five feet long, round one end of which a bundle of brushwood is
securely tied with string. The size of the brushwood bundle is such
that it exactly fits the hole in the rock (about six inches). The
implement is inserted, brushwood foremost, and slowly pushed down
into the water, and, after a short interval, quickly withdrawn again.
The water, which had collected behind this “piston-head,” is thereby
forcibly ejected, and is collected inside a small enclosure of clay built
around the hole.
The aborigines are most particular about preserving their water
supplies against pollution, especially where such is brought about by
excremental and decaying animal matter. In the Musgrave Ranges,
the natives did not in the slightest object to our camels being
watered at the supplies they were dependent upon, but when the
animals dirtied the rocks above the hole and there was a chance of
the discharge running into the water, they immediately set to and
built a barrier of earth to intercept the flow before it reached the hole.
In the Northern Kimberleys of Western Australia valuable pools of
water collect upon the boabab trees. The branches of this species
surround the “gouty” stem in a circle at the top, like the heads of a
hydra, and by this means form a concavity between them, which is
capable of storing a considerable volume of cool, clear rain-water. To
reach this water, the natives construct ladders by simply driving a
series of pointed pegs into the soft bark of the tree one above the
other.
Certain desert trees like the Currajong have the property of
retaining considerable quantities of water in their tissues, even under
the worst conditions of drought, for periods of many weeks or
months. This water the native obtains by felling the tree and setting
fire to the crown; the water oozes out from the cut trunk and is
collected in bark carriers. The “Bloodwood” (Eucalyptus corymbosa)
has similar properties.
In the Denial Bay district a remarkable mallee (Eucalyptus
dumosa) grows, whose roots supply the natives with water. This
mallee is a rather big tree, which lives in association with other
smaller species of the same genus. It appears, also, that not every
specimen of the particular species referred to contains water; it
requires the experience of an aboriginal to predict which of the trees
is likely to carry such. Having selected his tree, the native proceeds
to expose one of the lateral roots, which grow in the sand at no great
depth from the surface. The root is then cut in two places, three or
four feet apart, and lifted from the ground in a horizontal position;
finally it is turned on end over a bark cooleman, when water, clear as
crystal, begins to drip from the lower end into the vessel. Sufficient
water can thus be collected to sustain the camp, if need be, for even
a longish period.
Other trees in central Australia are known to possess similar
properties though to a lesser extent, as for instance the Needle-Bush
(Hakea lorea, var. suberea).
When, after a good day’s march, the natives have the luck to strike
a big waterhole, each of the party immediately quenches his thirst by
literally “filling up” on the spot. Different methods are adopted to
accomplish this. Some prefer to remain prone at the water’s edge,
whilst others wade into the deeper parts of the hole, and, placing
their hands upon their knees, stoop and drink off the surface.
The Cambridge Gulf tribes pull a long-stalked leaf of the water-lily,
which, after they have cut it at top and bottom, acts like a tube and
permits them to suck the cooler fluid from a depth.
After quenching his thirst, a native will on a hot day often cool his
system by pouring water on to his head. The women-folk and
children are very fond of splashing the head with cold water, which
they might do repeatedly during the day, provided the opportunity is
afforded. Bathing during the heat of the day is also commonly
enjoyed by all the northern tribes, especially those resident in the
tropics where water is abundant.
CHAPTER XIII
CAMP LIFE

Preparation of camping ground—The bed and its coverings—Sleeping order—


Brushwood shelters—Various habitations—Vermin-proof platforms—Common
position during sleep—Friendly meetings and salutations—Sitting postures—
Sense of Modesty—Bird-like attitude—Gins procure firewood—The campfire
—Methods of cooking—Fire-shovels—Fire-stick—Fire-whisk—Fire-saw—
Women the recognized transport agents—Care of weapons—Sundry
occupations while in camp—Absence of wearing apparel—Pubic coverings—
Cosmetics—Hair-belts—Pristine philosophy—Removing thorns—The
aboriginal loves his dog—The dingo.

Having arrived at the chosen camp-site, each family group at once


busies itself clearing a patch of ground of any obstacles, like stones
and lumps of earth, the biggest of which are picked up by hand or
crushed by foot, the smaller brushed aside with the sides of the feet.
In addition, the women may be told to sweep the ground with
branches to clear it of grass-seeds and burrs. Should it be that the
spot is only reached after dusk, the natives set fire to one or two dry
bushes, the glare of which supplies them with the necessary light.
Each adult scoops a “bed” for himself on the sand, and lights a
small fire on one or both sides of it.
The northern coastal tribes very often spread sheets of paper-bark
over the sand, and they might also cover their bodies with similar
material. Should the mosquitoes become a great nuisance, one often
sees them completely covered with sand.
The south-eastern tribes of Australia, including those of the River
Murray and Adelaide Plains, used skins and rugs made of kangaroo
and opossum skins, neatly sewn together, to lie upon and under.
PLATE XIII

1. The game of “gorri,” Humbert River, Northern Territory.

2. A “Kutturu” duel, Aluridja tribe.


The children sleep with or close to their parents. When an
aboriginal has more wives than one, his camp is subdivided
according to their number, and he sleeps with his favourite.
The strangest conditions reign on Groote Island in the Gulf of
Carpentaria, where the women practically live apart from the men
during the whole of the day, and only come into camp after sundown
to deliver the food supplies they have collected over day. When on
the march, every adult female carries two big sheets of paper-bark
with her, which she holds with her hands, one in front and another
behind her person. Whenever a stranger approaches, they duck
behind these sheets of bark, as into a box, for cover.
No matter when or where an aboriginal camps, he constructs a
brushwood shelter or windbreak at the head-end of his resting place.
This consists of a few branches or tussocks stuck in the ground or
piled against any bush, which might be growing upon the patch of
ground selected. Under ordinary circumstances, this is the only
shelter erected.
Even under the best of conditions, the night’s rest of an aboriginal
is hard, and at times very cold and wet. It is not an uncommon
experience for a person to sit up part of the night, hugging a fire, and
when the sun is up to lie in its warmth to make good the sleep lost.
During a run of wet weather or when the camp is to be of a more
permanent nature, different kinds of structures are erected, or
already existing habitations selected, which will afford a better
shelter than the crude structures referred to.
Natural caves or shelters beneath a sloping wall of rock, although
frequently chosen as a mid-day camp, are not favoured on account
of the superstitious dread of the evil spirit, whose haunts are
supposed to be in the rocks. Caves are in any case only occupied
during the heat of summer, the rocks being considered too cold to sit
and lie upon in winter. If possible, a tribe will always make for the
sandhill country in the winter, the sand making a very much softer
and warmer bed. Such caves as are regularly occupied almost
invariably have the walls and ceiling decorated with ochre drawings.
The opportunity of camping under large hollow tree-trunks, when
available, is never neglected in wet weather. In the southern districts,
as for instance the Adelaide Plains and along the River Murray, the
large red-gums, especially such as have been partly destroyed by a
passing bush-fire, supply the best covers of this description, whilst
on the north coast of Australia the boabab occasionally becomes
hollow in a like way, and makes a very snug and roomy camp.
Huts are constructed after different patterns according to the
materials available. In the Musgrave Ranges, as in most parts of
central Australia, the usual plan is to ram an uprooted dry trunk of
mulga into the sand in an inverted position, so that the horizontal
root system rests at the top, generally about five feet from the
ground. Making this the central supporting column, branches of
mulga and other bushes are placed in a slanting position against it,
so that they rest between the roots at the top and form a more or
less complete circle at the base, measuring some eight or nine feet
in diameter. An opening is left, away from the weather-side, large
enough to permit of free access. The spaces and gaps between the
branches are filled with small bushes, tussocks, and grass, and on
top of it all sand is thrown.
Very often the branches are placed around a standing tree for a
central support, and now and again they are simply made to rest
against one another in the required conical fashion.
Roof-like shelters are made by piling branches and brushwood
either upon the overhanging branches of a tree or across two bushes
which happen to be standing close together.
On Cooper’s Creek, in the extreme south-western districts of
Queensland, these huts are more carefully constructed. A solid,
almost hemispherical framework is erected consisting of stout curved
posts, with a prong at one end, so placed that the prongs interlock
on top and the opposite ends stand embedded in the sand in a
circle. Vide Plate XV, 1. The structure is covered with the long reeds
that abound along the banks of the large waterholes of the Cooper.
Some of the huts are indeed so neatly thatched that they have quite
a presentable appearance.
The eastern Arunndta groups, in the Arltunga district, cover a light
framework of mulga stakes, erected after the general central
Australian pattern, entirely with porcupine grass (Plate XV, 2).
At Crown Point, on the Finke River, other groups of the same tribe
cover their huts with branches and leaves of the Red Gum.
When camped on the great stony plains or “gibbers” of central
Australia, it is often very difficult to find a suitable covering for the
huts, the vegetation being either unsuitable or too scanty. On that
account the Yauroworka in the extreme north-east of South Australia
utilize the flat slabs and stones which abound in that locality to deck
their more permanent domiciles with. The supporting structure must,
of course, be made particularly strong to carry the weight of the
stones. The crevices between the stones are filled with clay to
render them water-tight, and earth is banked up against the base of
the walls both inside and outside.
Along the north coast of Australia, from the Victoria River to Cape
York, the prevalent type of hut is a half-dome structure, whose frame
consists of a series of parallel hoops, stuck into the ground and held
in position by a number of flexible sticks tied at right angles to the
former with shreds of Hybiscus bark. The ends of the cross-pieces
are poked into the ground on that side of the framework which will be
opposite the entrance of the hut when completed. The hoops are
made of slightly decreasing size from the entrance towards the back,
and so correspond in height with the upward curve of the cross-
pieces. This skeleton-frame is covered with sheets of “paper-bark”
(Melaleuca) and grass; and the floor of the interior is carpeted with
similar material; a small space is however left uncovered to hold the
fire. Such a hut measures about five feet by five feet at the base, and
is four feet high. In Queensland palm leaves may take the place of
the paper-bark sheets.
In districts where the mosquitoes are very troublesome, the dome
is completed by erecting hoops on the open side as well, and making
the cross-switches long enough to be lashed to them all and to be
stuck into the sand at both ends. The whole structure is covered with
bark, but three or four small holes are left along the base for the
people to slip in by; and a ventilation-hole is left at the top of the
dome to allow the smoke to escape from the fire, which is burned
inside to keep out the insects.
Provisional rain-shelters are made by cutting a big sheet of bark
from one of the eucalypts, usually the “stringy bark.” To do this the
bark is chopped through circumferentially on the butt in two places,
about seven or eight feet apart, slit vertically between the two
incisions, and removed by levering it off with two chisel-pointed rods.
The sheet is folded transversely at its centre and stood upon the
sand like a tent.
At times the sheet of bark is simply laid length-wise against two or
three sticks previously stuck into the ground. In the more durable
structures of this type, two forked poles are rammed into the ground
so that they can carry a horizontal piece after the fashion of a ridge-
pole of a tent. Against the latter then are stood several sheets of
bark at an angle of about forty-five degrees.
Occasionally a scaffold is erected with four poles and cross-pieces
at the corners of an oblong space, and sheets of bark are then laid
across the top. The sheets are of sufficient length to hang over the
sides of the frame so that their weight bends them into an arch along
the centre.
Commander Lort Stokes found similar structures near Roebuck
Bay in the north of Western Australia, but in place of the bark they
there had a slight, rudely-thatched covering.
In districts where thieving dogs, ants, or other vermin become
troublesome, the men construct platform-larders, upon which any
reserve supplies of meat are laid. Hawks are the greatest nuisance
in camp. It is astonishing with what fearlessness such birds fly right
into camp and swoop the meat from the natives. As a protection
against theft of this description, the campers cover their stores with
branches.
The position favoured during sleep is to lie upon one side, with the
legs drawn up towards the stomach and bent in the knees. The head
rests upon one or both hands; should one hand not be so occupied,
it is usually placed between the closed thighs. At Delamere in the
Victoria River country, the natives were observed to have convex
pieces of bark in their possession which were used as head-rests
during the night.
It goes without saying, of course, that the aboriginal might at any
time change his position during sleep to one of the many commonly
adopted by European or other people.
During the warm summer months, the campers are up with the
first glimpse of dawn, but when the nights become cold, they often
remain huddled by the fires until the sun is high up in the sky.
When a messenger or visitor approaches a camp at night, he will
not do so without announcing his arrival in advance by loudly calling
from afar to the groups at the fireside. Should a person be
discovered prowling the surroundings of a camp, without having
heralded his coming, he runs grave risk of being speared, on the
chance that he be on no good business.
In the way of salutations, hand-shaking and kissing are unknown,
but when two friends meet it is quite the usual thing for them to walk
together for a while, hand-in-hand. When a person, who has been
long absent, returns to camp, everybody is so overcome with joy that
he starts crying aloud as if his joy were grief.
On the occasion of friendly Arunndta groups visiting, all members
of both parties, male and female, approach each other with their
spears, boomerangs, shields, and fighting sticks. The visitors first sit
down in a body while the others walk around them, in a widening
course, flourishing their weapons high in the air and shrieking with
joy; later they return the civilities by acting similarly.
When seating himself, an aboriginal always prefers the natural
surface of the ground to any artificial or natural object, which might
serve him in a manner suggestive of a chair. Rocks and fallen tree-
trunks might occasionally be used, and children are sometimes seen
sitting upon the lowest big branches of trees, especially if they slope
downwards to the ground. But even in these cases they rarely allow
the legs to dangle, preferring to draw them, bent in the knee, close
against the body, and usually with the arms thrown around the legs
or resting upon the knees.
The men use the same method, when squatting at ease upon the
ground, keeping their thighs apart, heels touching and close against
the buttocks, with their elbows resting upon their knees and their
hands usually joined in front. When the hands are to be used, the
sitter acquires greater stability by placing the feet further apart and
swinging the arms over the knees.
Another common posture is to double the shins under the thighs
and rest them half-laterally upon the ground. This method is
frequently combined with the previously mentioned by holding one
leg one way and the other the other.
From either of these positions, the sitter may change by tucking
the shins well under the thighs and rolling on to the side of one of his
thighs.
Again, he may change by simply stretching his legs forward full
length.
These methods are made use of by men, women, and children
alike. Unless it be that the person prefers his legs to remain in close
apposition, whilst squatting in any of the positions indicated, he will
endeavour to hide his shame behind one of his feet. This is
particularly characteristic of the women, and their natural sense of
decency is prettily described in the narration of the voyage in search
of La Perouse as follows: “Though for the most part they are entirely
naked, it appears to be a point of decorum with these ladies, as they
sit with their knees asunder, to cover with one foot what modesty
bids them conceal in that situation.”
By their method of standing at ease on one leg, the natives of
Australia have evolved a remarkable posture which reminds one of
birds. In this position, a man rests the sole of his unoccupied foot
against the knee of the standing leg, and usually props his body with
a spear-thrower (Plate XVI, 2).
Strictly speaking, it is the duty of the women to gather firewood,
although very often, when there is a supply close at hand, the men
will also drag a few logs to the family camp. The women, on the
other hand, are required to collect sufficient to keep the fire going,
during the day for cooking purposes and during the night for warming
and lighting purposes. At times this entails weary searching and
long-distance marching. We have already referred to the way they lift
the pieces of wood from the ground, between the toes of one foot, to
the hand on the opposite side, by passing the piece behind the body;
the same hand next stacks the wood upon the head, where the other
holds and steadies it. By this method, the gin has no need to stoop,
and can in consequence build up astonishingly high piles of wood
upon her head (Plate XVII). A small pad is usually first laid upon the
head to prevent the scalp from chafing and the wood from slipping.
Arrived at the camp, a gin throws her load to the ground and breaks
the longer pieces across her head with her hands.
A native’s idea of a good fire is to keep it as small as possible, but,
at the same time, to derive a cheerful glow from it. His opinion of the
European traveller’s camp-fire is that it is so ridiculously big that one
cannot lie near to it, without being scorched. In the winter the native
often selects a large dry log if available and keeps this aglow at one
end throughout the night; in the absence of such a log, he will at
frequent intervals find it necessary to attend to his fire during the cold
hours of the night. So diligently, indeed, does he nurse his fire that
his eyes often become inflamed in consequence of the continued
irritation by smoke when he fans a smouldering flame with his
breath.
A small fire like this, especially when it has burned for some time,
is quite sufficient to cook all the smaller articles, which constitute the
daily bill of fare, as for instance roots, tree-grubs, and lizards.
When, however, big game like a kangaroo is to be prepared, larger
fires are essential and special culinary rules observed. A method,
which has been in use practically everywhere in Australia, and is still
found in use among the uncontaminated tribes, is to burn a big fire
for a while upon a sandy patch, and then to lay a number of flat
stones upon the red-hot coals and cover everything with sand. After
a while the sand is scraped aside and the oven is ready for use. In
the Northern Territory the stones are substituted by brick-like lumps
broken off one of the tall termite-hills, which abound in that country.
In south-eastern Australia and along the River Murray the stones
selected are usually composed of travertine or limestone.
In the Musgrave Ranges oven-stones are not in use, the game
being simply laid upon, and covered with, hot ashes and sand.
“Big” cooking is done by the men, whilst the women are required
to attend to the preparation of all smaller articles like yams, grubs,
and seeds.

PLATE XIV

1. Arunndta boy practising with toy shield and boomerang.

2. Wordaman warrior, holding prevalent north-western type of spear-thrower and


wearing pubic fur tassel.
Slight variations are noticed in the method of cooking a kangaroo
according to the locality. In the Musgrave Ranges, the animal is
prepared whole. The skin is not detached, whilst the bony paws may,
or may not, be removed beforehand in order to secure the sinews,
which are used all over Australia for tying purposes in the
manufacture of their implements and weapons. The carcase is laid
upon its back and completely covered with hot ashes and sand, and
thus permitted to cook. When sufficiently, and that according to our
ideas often means only partly, cooked, the skin can easily be
removed. The belly of the baked carcase is cut open and the gut laid
aside. What remains is then pulled to pieces by hand and the
portions distributed among all members having a right to such. The
meat is tender and juicy when cooked this way. Even the intestines,
after their contents have been squeezed out by the aid of two
fingers, are eaten by the less privileged members of the tribe. The
Arunndta call the last-named dish “uttna kalkal.” Most of the bones, if
not crushed between the jaws, are shattered between two stones
and the marrow eaten.
The Wogait and other tribes on the north coast break the legs of
the animal and tie them together in pairs with shreds of Hybiscus
bark. The carcase is opened at one side to remove the entrails, and
an incision is also made into the anus to clear it. In the case of a
kangaroo, the tail is cut off and cooked separately in ashes. The skin
is not removed. When thus prepared, the animal is transferred to an
oven as described above and first covered with a piece or two of
“paper-bark,” then with hot sand and ashes.
In order that they may readily scoop out a fireplace, scrape the
sand to and from the roast, and handle the meat, vegetable, seed-
cake, or whatever the article in the oven might happen to be, the
Northern Kimberley tribes have invented a long wooden shovel. This
is a slightly hollowed blade, about three feet in length, four inches
wide at the lower end, and decreasing in width at the hand end. The
implement is mostly cut out of a sheet of eucalyptus bark.
The central tribes generally make use of a discarded or defective
boomerang, which seems to answer the purpose very well.
Perhaps the most important article a native possesses is the fire-
stick. No matter where he might be, on the march or in camp, it is his
constant companion. Important as it is, the fire-stick is only a short
length of dry branch or bark, smouldering at one end. It is carried in
the hand with a waving motion, from one side to another. When
walking in the dark, this motion is brisker in order to keep alive
sufficient flame for lighting the way. A body of natives walking in this
way at night, in the customary Indian file, is indeed an imposing
sight. Directly a halt is made, a fire is lit, to cook the meals at day
and to supply warmth during sleep at night. When camp is left, a
fresh stick is taken from the fire and carried on to the next stopping
place.
In consequence of carrying the fire-stick too close to the body
during cold weather, most of the natives have peculiar, irregular
scars upon abdomen and chest which have been caused by burns.
The Wongapitcha call these marks “pika wairu.”
If by accident the fire should become extinguished, a fresh flame is
kindled by one of the methods depending upon the friction and heat
which are produced by rubbing two pieces of wood together. Two
methods are in use, all over Australia and the associated islands to
the north; the one is by means of the “fire-whisk,” the other by the
“fire-saw.”
In the first-mentioned case, two pieces of wood are used, usually a
flat basal piece, with a small circular hollow in its centre, and a long
cylindrical stick, rounded at one end. The native assumes a sitting
position with his legs slightly bent in the knees. He places the flat
piece of wood upon the ground and holds it securely beneath his
heels. The rounded point is now inserted into the small hollow, and,
holding the stick vertically between the flat palms of his hands, the
native briskly twirls it like a whisk (Plate XXII). The twirling action is,
however, not backwards and forwards, but in one direction only. After
a while, the wood dust that accumulates by the abrasion begins to
smoke, then smoulder. Suddenly the native throws his stick aside,
and quickly stooping over the smoking powder, gently blows upon it
whilst he adds a few blades of dry straw or other easily inflammable
material. When the smouldering dust has been coaxed into flame,
more straw and twigs are added, then larger pieces of wood, until
eventually a blazing fire results.
Often a small notch is cut at the side of the central hollow in order
that the smouldering powder might find its way down to a piece of
bark placed beneath the basal stick, and there, by the aid of gentle
blowing, ignite the dry grass, which was previously laid upon the
bark for that purpose.
Usually, during the process of twirling, a little fine sand is placed
upon the hollow to increase the friction. A curious practice was
observed among the Larrekiya at Port Darwin, which seems to be
opposed to the friction principle. When the fire-maker has, by careful
twirling, adjusted the point of the upright stick, so that it fits nicely
into the hole in the basal piece, he squeezes a quantity of grease
from the sebaceous glands of his nose, which he scrapes together
with his finger-nails and transfers in a lump to the ankle of his left
foot. Then he resumes the twirling, and, so soon as the stick begins
to smoke, he applies its hot end to the grease, which spreads itself
over the point. The stick having been thus lubricated, the process is
continued as before.
The central tribes, like the Dieri, Wongapitcha, and Aluridja,
usually make the basal piece short and flat, and wider than the
twirling stick. The Dieri select needlebush for the twirling stick, and
Hack’s Pea (Crotalaria) for the basal piece. The other tribes
mentioned combine the needlebush wood with that of a mulga root.
The northern tribes almost invariably employ two long sticks, one
of which has a rounded point at one end, the other a series of
shallow circular pits, into which the point of the twirling piece just
described fits when the implement is in use.
The Mulluk-Mulluk, Ponga-Ponga, and other tribes of the Daly
River district carry a number of these sticks about with them,
especially in the rainy season, when there is always a chance of the
fire-stick being extinguished by an unexpected tropical deluge. The
fire-making apparatus is carried in a receptacle, which consists of a
single segment of a bamboo, with a septum at the bottom. The sticks
are stuck into this cylindrical holder, which keeps them perfectly dry
even during a prolonged season of rain, after the fashion of arrows in
a quiver.
Fire-making implements are carried by the men, whilst the fire-
stick is, as often as not, carried by the women also. As we have
already seen in connection with the carriage of water, it is the
concern of the women to undertake the transport of the camp-
belongings from one site to another. When moving they pack
themselves with the domestic implements, collecting-vessels,
personal paraphernalia, and their infants, whilst their husbands
burden themselves only to the extent of a few spears, a spear-
thrower, and the fire-producing sticks just mentioned. The men
declare that it would be most unwise to be burdened with any
impediment themselves, while on the march, because at any
moment, and when least expected, they might be pounced upon by
an enemy, who would make good use of their unpreparedness. So
also, should game of any kind suddenly come into view, the men,
who are the recognized hunters, must always be ready for quick
action, or in a position to take up the chase immediately. Hence it
comes about that in the best interests of the tribe the women are
required to undertake the transport.

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