Pain Pathways And Theories Of Pain

1283 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Pain perception psychology

Pain Pathways and Theories
According to the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), (2016), pain is described as an undesirable sensory and emotional exposure related to actual or potential tissue injury. Pain is a subjective experience and is the most common reason for a person to seek medical help. Pain is a conscious sensation that is picked up by specialized nociceptive neurons and conducted to the Central nervous system (IASP, 2016). Pain is a physiological, emotional, and a behavioral phenomenon (Bordi, 2014). Pain scales help the health care professional to grade the severity and location of pain through numerical and visual methods. McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) is an elaborate method to evaluate sensory, affective, and cognitive components of pain (Rosenquist & Vrooman, 2013). The Wong-Baker FACES rating scale is designed for children three years of age and older with whom communication may be difficult (Rosenquist & Vrooman, 2013). When assessing patients with pain, psychological, cultural, and environmental factors should be addressed (Bordi, 2014).
Pain Classifications
Classifications of pain are based on the duration of pain and defined as acute or chronic (Macres, Moore, & Fishman, 2009). Acute pain is usually in response to immediate injury, and chronic pain is pain that has lasted over a period of time, and has psychological and behavioral factor (Rosenquist & Vrooman, 2013). Depending on the Pathophysiology, pain is categorized as either nociceptive or non-nociceptive in nature (Bordi, 2014). Nociceptive pain is caused by sensitization of peripheral nociceptors, somatic or visceral. Non-nociceptive pain is the result of damage to peripheral or central neural structures, neuropathic o...

... middle of paper ...

...s that enter the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, and then cell carries the impulses from the spinal cord up to the brain. The signals produced from the primary afferent stimulation of the skin, and then transmitted into three regions in the spinal cord, the substantia gelatinosa, the dorsal column, and the transmission cells. The gate control theory proposed the gate in the spinal cord is the substantia gelatinosa within the dorsal horn, which then modulates the transmission of sensory information from the primary afferent neurons, then moving to the transmission cells in the spinal cord. Small and large fibers control the gating activity. The small fibers open the gate, whereas the large fibers close the gate. When nociceptor activity reaches a limit and activates pathway, opening the gate shows the pain behaviors and pain experiences (Moayedi & Davis, 2013).

Show More
Related

  • Antecedents Of The Concept Of Pain Case Study

    1453 Words  | 3 Pages

    The events that happen prior to concept taking place are known as antecedents (Walker & Avant, 1995). In the concept of pain, three main actions happen for pain to occur. First, an internal or external noxious stimuli is received. This stimuli travels to the brain through the peripheral nerve system (Brunner, et al., 2010, p. 234). Second, the individual must become aware of the stimuli. Lastly, the stimuli must be perceived as painful.

    Read More

  • Cannabis And Cbd Thesis Statement

    280 Words  | 1 Pages

    A. Chronic pain signifies a developing public health issue of huge magnitudes, mainly in view of aging populations in developed countries (Russo).

    Read More

  • Chronic Pain Management in Preoperative Patient Care

    1194 Words  | 3 Pages

    Institute of Medicine Report from the Committee on Advancing Pain Research, Care and Education. (2011). Relieving Pain in America A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education and Research. Retrieved from http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?records_13172

    Read More

  • Assessment of Post-Operative Pain in Dementia Patients

    1954 Words  | 4 Pages

    Assessing and managing pain is an inevitable part of nursing and the care of patients. Incomplete relief of pain remains prevalent despite years of research due to barriers such as lack of kn...

    Read More

  • Melzack And Wall: Gate Control Theory Of Pain

    159 Words  | 1 Pages

    The most common and well described pain transmission is “gate control theory of pain”. This theory was first proposed by Melzack and Wall in 1965 whereby they used the analogy of gate to explain the inhibition of pain which exists within the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. For instance, when tissue damage occurs, substances such as prostaglandin, serotonin, histamine and bradykinin are released from the injured cell. Individual usually consume or apply pain medications such as NSAIDs whereby these medications will cause electrical nerve impulse at the end of the sensory nerve fiber via nociceptor. Nociceptor is a pain receptor that is commonly found in the skin, cornea of eye and organ of motion such as muscles and ligaments. These nerve impulses

    Read More

  • Pediatric Pain Assessment Paper

    692 Words  | 2 Pages

    Pain assessment is critical for pediatric patients not only in order to select a proper approach to treating pain but also to prevent further complication that might develop. With age appropriate

    Read More

  • Federal Public Health and The Affordable Care Act and Public Health Reform

    1744 Words  | 4 Pages

    on Pain Care will evaluate the adequacy of pain assessment, treatment, and management; identify and

    Read More

  • Nursing Career: Three Most Common Assessment Tools

    1502 Words  | 4 Pages

    To provide the best care for their elderly patients, nurses must incorporate pain assessment into their daily care of patients. Pain assessment is a key aspect of the nurse’s role. There are many factors to consider when assessing patients’ pain such as if they are verbal or non-verbal, what language they speak, their age and their cultural background. There are many tools that a nurse can use to assess a patient’s pain but one of the most common tools is the 0-10 scale. This tool can be asked verbally by asking what their pain level is on a scale of 0 to 10 with 0 being no pain and 10 being the worst pain they have ever had. You may also use this tool in a visual manner with faces that correlate to the numbers. 0 being a happy face and 10 being a very sad face. Elderly patients from diverse cultural backgrounds are increasing in long term care facilities so it is important to have a 0 – 10 pain scale written in their native language. Some patients are stoic and do not express their pain as much as other people so it is important to understand that a 0 – 10 pain scale might not always be sufficient and could be combined with observing any physical signs that the patient might be in pain such as facial expressions and guarding. Nurses must have a good base of knowledge and attitude towards pain and always take what the patient reports their pain scale to be as truth. If the patient does report pain it would be important to treat the pain or if it is a new occurrence to follow this assessment up with another val...

    Read More

  • Theory of Acute Pain Management

    1261 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...amount of pain) is a great teaching tool for the patient who is able to self-report (Nevius & D’Arcy, 2008). This will put the patient and nurse on the same level of understanding regarding the patient’s pain. The patient should also be aware of the added information included with the pain scale: quality, duration, and location of the pain. During patient teaching, it should be noted that obtaining a zero out of ten on the pain scale is not always attainable after a painful procedure. A realistic pain management goal can be set by the patient for his pain level each day.

    Read More

  • History Of Pain Theory

    1616 Words  | 4 Pages

    The gate control theory of pain states that non-painful input closes the "gates" to painful input, which prevents pain sensation from traveling to the central nervous system. Stimulation by non-noxious input is able to suppress pain (Melzack). The gate control theory of pain asserts that non-painful input closes the "gates" to painful input, which prevents pain sensation from traveling to the central nervous system. The human brain is the key component in the sensation of pain.

    Read More

  • Pain: A Concept Analysis

    3405 Words  | 7 Pages

    Conclusions. An adequate and clear understanding of the concept of pain and implementing interventions of pain treatment and management is essential in the clinical settings. Understanding the concept of pain is necessary for its relationships with other concepts that are related and similar to the pain experience for theory building. The in the end, understanding the concept of pain will ultimately benefit the patient and lead to better and approp...

    Read More

  • Nursing Essay: Pain Management.

    1478 Words  | 3 Pages

    Somatic pain is that in which nociceptors in the cutaneous or deep tissues are activated by noxious stimuli. This is usually characterized by dull, aching pain which is well localized. This type of pain may be commonly experienced by individuals with metastatic bone pain or those who h...

    Read More

  • Essay On Pain Assessment

    480 Words  | 1 Pages

    The nurse should educate the patient of the importance of pain control and how controlling pain is essential to a patient’s wellbeing and recovery. It needs to be a balance of what the patient says and what the nurse observes and interprets while always respecting the wishes of the patient. Nurses have a variety of assessment tools available to assess pain in their patients. One dimensional pain scales such as visual analog scale, verbal descriptor scale, numeric pain intensity scale and the combined thermometer scale all measure the intensity of the pain (Jensen, 2011). Other pain scales such as McGill pain questionnaire, brief pain inventory, and brief pain impact questionnaire take into account aspects beyond intensity (Jensen 2011). There are additional pain assessments specialized for children, older adults, patients who are unable to respond, and patients with opioid tolerance (Jensen, 2011). The nurse should be familiar with these methods of pain assessment and know the appropriate use of each. Incorrect medication and treatment choices due to inaccurate or poor pain assessment cause patient suffering (Jensen,

    Read More

  • Sensory Neurons Essay

    596 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dendrites are located on either one or both ends of a cell.The peripheral nervous system then takes the sensory information from the outside and sends the messages by virtue of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that relay signals through the neural pathways of the spinal cord. The neurotransmitter chemicals are held by tiny membranous sacs located in the synaptic terminals. Synaptic terminals are located at the ends of nerve cells. The release of neurotransmitters from their sacs is stimulated once the electrical nerve impulse has finished travelling along a neuron and reaches the synaptic terminal. Afterward, neurotransmitters travel across synapses thus stimulating the production of an electrical charge that carries the nerve impulse onward. Synapses are junctions between neighboring neurons. This procedure is reiterated until either muscle movement occurs or the brain picks up on a sensory reaction. During this process, messages are being transmitted from one part of the body onto the next. The peripheral and central nervous system are two crucial subdivisions of the nervous system. The brain and spinal cord make up the central nervous

    Read More

  • Pain: A Part Of Life

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    "There is much pain that is quite noiseless; and that make human agonies are often a mere whisper in the of hurrying existence. There are glances of hatred that stab and raise no cry of murder; robberies that leave man of woman for ever beggared of peace and joy, yet kept secret by the sufferer-committed to no sound except that of low moans in the night, seen in no writing except that made on the face by the slow months of suppressed anguish and early morning tears. Many an inherited sorrow that has marred a life has been breathed into no human ear." George Eliot (1819-80), English novelist,editor. Felis Holt, the Radical, Introduction (1866).What is pain? In the American Heritage Dictionary, pain is referred to as "an unpleasant sensation occurring in varying degrees of severity as a consequence of injury, disease, or emotional disorder." The word is rooted in Middle English, from an Old French piene, from Latin poena, meaning "penalty or pain", and from Greek pointe, meaning "penalty." Pain is a very realistic problem that many individuals face daily.

    Read More

More about Pain Pathways And Theories Of Pain

Open Document