Symptom and Pain control Flashcards Preview

*Medicine: Palliative Care > Symptom and Pain control > Flashcards

Flashcards in Symptom and Pain control Deck (4)
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1
Q

What are the two main pathophysiological types of pain?

A
  • neuropathic
  • nociceptive
2
Q

Nociceptive pain is related to damaged tissue due to trauma or inflammation. How do the two types present differently?

A
  • somatic (muscles, bone, skin) - continuous ache, tender to pressure, worse on movement, localised, dull pain
  • visceral (internal organs) - cramping, deep pain, may be aching/dull, not usually related to movement and poorly localised
3
Q

Neuropathic pain is a result of damage to central or peripheral neurones. How does this present?

A
  • brning, stabbing, “electric shock”, shooting
  • intermittent
  • not movement related
  • may have allodynia, hyperalgesia*, and/or sensory deficit

*hyperalgesia = inc response to painful stimulus, allodynia = painful response to a normally innocuous stimulus

4
Q

What is meant by ‘total pain’?

A
  • holistic experience that extends beyond physiological domain
  • first introduced by Dame Cicely Saunders in 1960s
  • to include physical symptoms, mental distress, social problems and emotional problems
  • symptoms rarely occur in isolation; rather, they cluster w/ other symptoms and are influenced by psych, social and cultural characteristics of the individual