Pain - Answers Pain is an unpleasant sensation usually associated with disease or injury.
Cutaneous Pain - Answers Originates in the skin or subcutaneous tissue; sharp and localized. Typically
sharp and localized; common examples include burns and cuts.
Somatic Pain - Answers Arises from ligaments, tendons, bones, blood vessels, and nerves; often dull
and aching. Often described as aching or gnawing.
Visceral Pain - Answers Comes from internal organs; can be diffuse and challenging to localize. Can be
more challenging to diagnose due to its diffuse nature.
Acute Pain - Answers Short-term, often due to injury or surgery; serves as a warning. Typically serves
as a protective mechanism, signaling injury or illness.
Chronic Pain - Answers Long-lasting, persisting beyond normal healing time; often impacts quality of
life.
Transduction - Answers Conversion of stimuli into electrical signals. Involves nerve endings and
pathways.
Transmission - Answers Movement of pain signals through nerves.
Perception - Answers Awareness of pain in the brain. The brain's interpretation of pain; influenced by
emotional and psychological factors.
Modulation - Answers Alteration of pain signals by the nervous system. The body's inherent ability to
dampen pain signals.
Onset - Answers Time pain started.
Quality - Answers Description of pain ex: throbbing, crushing, agonizing.
Intensity - Answers Magnitude of Pain ex: slight, mild, moderate, severe: or numeric scale from 0 to
10.
Location - Answers Anatomic Site ex: Chest, abdomen, jaw.
Duration - Answers Time span of pain ex: continues intermittent, hours, weeks, months.
Drug Therapy - Answers Use of analgesics, including non-opioids and opioids.
Intraspinal Techniques - Answers Epidural and intrathecal delivery for localized pain relief.
Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) - Answers Allowing patients to self-administer analgesics within
prescribed limits.
Surgical Interventions - Answers Procedures to alleviate pain, such as nerve blocks.
Non-Opioids - Answers NSAIDs and acetaminophen; inhibit pain mediators.
Aspirin - Answers A medication used to relieve pain.
Tylenol - Answers Also known as acetaminophen, used for pain relief.
NSAIDS - Answers Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen, Aleve, and Advil that
relieve pain by altering neurotransmission at the site of injury.
COX2 Inhibitors - Answers Medications that target specific enzymes to reduce inflammation and
relieve pain with fewer gastric side effects.
Celebrex - Answers A COX2 inhibitor believed to relieve pain better with fewer gastric side effects
compared to traditional NSAIDS.
Opioids - Answers Medications that bind to receptors in the brain to alter pain perception, used for
moderate to severe pain.
Morphine - Answers An opioid medication used for pain relief.
Fentanyl - Answers A potent opioid used for pain management.
Demerol - Answers An opioid medication used for pain relief.
Codeine - Answers An opioid used to treat pain.
Complementary alternative medical interventions - Answers Therapies like acupuncture, massage,
and relaxation techniques used alongside conventional methods for pain management.
Heat and Cold therapy - Answers Thermal therapy using ice packs or heat packs for pain
management.
Relaxation - Answers A technique involving the release of intense muscle tension and quieting the
mind to achieve a state of calmness.
Distraction - Answers An intentional diversion of attention to switch focus from unpleasant
sensations.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) - Answers A medically prescribed pain
management technique that delivers bursts of electricity to the skin and underlying tissues.
Acupuncture - Answers A technique where thin needles are inserted into the skin to relieve pain.