Acute Pain
Pain may be categorized as either acute or chronic. Acute pain originates from a known stimulus that causes tissue injury. Dental pain following oral surgery is the most thoroughly studied type of acute pain and is frequently used in clinical trials as the model of acute pain. This type of pain is medicated by the inflammatory substances discussed earlier. Other common types of acute pain include menstrual pain associated with dysmenorrhea, and pain following injury.
Acute pain can be further classified as somatic, visceral or referred. Somatic pain is superficial. Coming from the surface of the body (e.g., a paper cut). Visceral pain involves one or more internal organs and is usually poorly localized and often radiates (e.g., intestinal gas pain). Referred pain is pain that exists in an area that is distant from the site of the disorder.
Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is usually defined as pain that lasts for longer than six months, and which remains after the healing of tissue injury. Chronic pain can be further broken down into malignant and nonmalignant pain. Examples of nonmalignant chronic pain include back pain, neck pain, migraine headache, and arthritis pain. Chronic pain of malignant origin is primarily pain caused by cancer, which is managed with different treatment strategies than those used to treat nonmalignant pain.
The following table compares the characteristics of acute and chronic pain.
Pain may be categorized as either acute or chronic. Acute pain originates from a known stimulus that causes tissue injury. Dental pain following oral surgery is the most thoroughly studied type of acute pain and is frequently used in clinical trials as the model of acute pain. This type of pain is medicated by the inflammatory substances discussed earlier. Other common types of acute pain include menstrual pain associated with dysmenorrhea, and pain following injury.
Acute pain can be further classified as somatic, visceral or referred. Somatic pain is superficial. Coming from the surface of the body (e.g., a paper cut). Visceral pain involves one or more internal organs and is usually poorly localized and often radiates (e.g., intestinal gas pain). Referred pain is pain that exists in an area that is distant from the site of the disorder.
Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is usually defined as pain that lasts for longer than six months, and which remains after the healing of tissue injury. Chronic pain can be further broken down into malignant and nonmalignant pain. Examples of nonmalignant chronic pain include back pain, neck pain, migraine headache, and arthritis pain. Chronic pain of malignant origin is primarily pain caused by cancer, which is managed with different treatment strategies than those used to treat nonmalignant pain.
The following table compares the characteristics of acute and chronic pain.
Characteristics of Acute and Chronic Pain
Characteristic | Acute Pain | Chronic Pain |
Types | Somatic, Visceral referred | Persistent (e.g., low back pain) Or intermittent (e.g., migraine) |
Source | Acute or potential tissue damage | Usually unknown |
Onset/Duration | Sudden, up to 6 months | Sudden or insidious, >6 months to years |
Physiologic | Elevated heart rate, Respiratory rate, blood Glucose, Decreased GI motility and receptions, an and blood flow to visceral organs, Occasional nausea | Similar to acute pain but adaptation occurs and heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure are normalized |
Psychologic Responsea | Fear, anxiety and uneasiness | Depression, behavior modification, insomnia and denial |
Prognosis | Complete relief probable | Complete relief unlikely |
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