Understanding Pain

Front

The best judge of the existence and severity of a patient's pain is the patient.

Back

Pain is subjective data and considered a vital sign.

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Definition of pain

Back

Pain is an unpleasant experience that is emotional or sensory, resulting from actual or potential damage.

Front

Pain is uniquely experienced and described by each person.

Back

True

Front

Etiology of nociceptive pain

Back

Nociceptive pain is initiated by nociceptors activated by actual or threatened damage to non-neural tissue. Is representative of the normal pain process.

Front

Role of nociceptors

Back

Nociceptors are peripheral somatosensory nerve fibers that transduce and encode noxious stimuli.

Front

Definition of neuropathic pain

Back

Neuropathic pain is caused by a lesion or disease of the peripheral or central somatosensory nervous system.

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Characteristics of neuropathic pain

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Neuropathic pain can be of short duration but is frequently chronic, described as burning, electric, shooting, or stabbing.

Front

Origin of neuropathic pain

Back

The exact cause of neuropathic pain is unknown, but it can originate from peripheral nerves, spinal cord, or brain. Example, phantom leg pain.

Front

Nonciplastic Pain

Back

Combination of nociceptive and neuropathic pain or a pain that is real but has no clear evidence of actual or threatened tissue damage (addressed as Chronic Pain)