3. INTRODUCTION:-
Everyone has experienced some type or degree of pain. Pain is
the most common reason why people seek healthcare.
A person in pain feels distress or suffering and seeks relief.
Pain is a phenomenon that crosses all specialities of nursing.
No matter the setting a nurse practices in, including
Neonatal ICU, intra-operative, home care or clinics ,the
nurse will be exposed to challenges in pain management
and it is the nurse who spends the most time with the client
experiencing pain. It is for this reason the nurse is often
called as ‘ backbone’ or ‘corner stone’ of pain
management.
4. DEFINITION OF PAIN :-
Pain defined as an unpleasant, sensory and emotional
experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage
or described in terms of such damage. (American Pain
Society, 2003)
Three parts of this definition have important implications for
nurses.
First- Pain is a physical, and emotional experience, not all in the
body or all in the mind.
Second- it is in response to actual or potential tissue damage, so
there may not be abnormal lab or radiographic reports despite
real pain.
Third- pain is described in terms of such damage.
5. NATURE OF PAIN
Pain is much more than a physical sensation caused by a
specific stimulus.
The pain experience is complex, involving physician, emotional
and cognitive components.
Pain is subjective, and highly individualized.
Pain can not be objectively measured, only the client knows
whether pain is present and the experience is like.
PURPOSE OF PAIN:-
Serves as a protective mechanism.
Can be a diagnostic tool.
6. PHYSIOLOGY OF PAIN
The neural mechanism by which pain is
perceived consists of 4 steps :
1. Transduction.
2. Transmission.
3. Perception
4. Modulation.
1. Transduction:
It is the conversion of a
mechanical, thermal, or chemical
stimulus into neuronal action
potential.
The noxious stimuli causes cell
damage with the release of
sensitizing chemicals like
prostaglandins, bradykinin,
serotonin, histamin etc.
These substances activate
nociceptors and lead to generation
of action potential.
7. 2. Transmission:
It is the movement of pain impulses from the site of tranduction
to the brain.
Action potential continues from-
Site of injury to spinal cord.
Spinal cord to brain stem and thalamus.
Thalamus to cortex for processing.
3. Perception:
It occurs when pain is recognized, defined and responded to by
the individual experiencing the pain.
It is the conscious experience of the pain.
4. Modulation :
It involves the activation of descending pathways.
Descending modulatory fibers release chemicals such as
serotonin, norepinephrine, gamma aminobutyric acid, at the
site of pain that can inhibit pain transmission.
8.
9.
10. SPECIFICITY THEORY
This theory proposed that pain is
perceived following injury,
because there is a single,
dedicated, afferent nerve which
carries message from the site of
injury to the brain.
The specific nerve endings in the
skin and other tissues respond to
nociceptive stimuli.
Then the afferent nerves carry
this information to the spinal cord
and then to the thalamus or pain
centre in the brain and to the
relevant part of the sensory
cortex.
11. PATTERN THEORY
This theory is based on the perception of pain to pattern
of impulses in the nervous system rather than activation
of dedicated pain pathways.
Pattern theories may explain some chronic or recurrent
pains which occur when there are nerve lesions.
12. GATE CONTROL THEORY :
In 1965, Melzack and Wall proposed the gate control pain
theory, which was the first one recognizing the
psychological aspects of pain are as important as
physiological aspects.
The theory suggest that the nerve fibers that contribute to
pain transmission to the brain , converge at a site in the
dorsal horn of the spinal cord.
If the gate is closed, the signal is stopped before it
reaches the brain, where perception of pain occurs.
If the gate is open , the signal will continuously transmit
through the spino-thalamic tract to the cortex of brain and
thalamus and client will feel the pain.
13.
14.
15. TYPES OF PAIN:-
1. On the basis of origin, pain can be classified as-
Cutaneous pain.
Somatic pain and deep somatic pain.
Visceral or Splanchnic pain.
Referred pain.
2. On the basis of nature, pain is divided into-
Acute pain.
Recurrent acute pain.
Chronic pain.
16. Cutaneous pain: This is caused by stimulating the cutaneous nerve
endings in the skin and results in a ‘burning’ or ‘prickling sensation’.
Eg. Tangled hair that is pulled during combing.
Somatic pain :
Somatic pain is also referred to as skin pain, tissue pain, or
muscle pain.
This is non localized and originates in supporting structure.
Eg Pain from lumbar disc is felt along with the sciatic nerve.
Deep somatic pain :
It may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting and may be described
as sickening, deep, squeezing, and dull.
Deep somatic pain is initiated by stimulation of nociceptors in
ligaments, tendons, bones, blood vessels, fasciae and muscles, and is
dull, aching, poorly-localized pain.
Examples include sprains and broken bones.
17. Visceral or Splanchnic pain :
Visceral pain is associated with viscera and internal organs and
is less localized and more slowly transmitted (through
sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve) than cutaneous pain.
Difficult to assess because the location may not be directly
related to the cause.
Eg. Appendicitis pain.
Referred pain :
Pain felt in a part of the body other than its actual source.
Eg. pain in internal organs is often referred to sites distant from
them.
Acute pain :
Acute pain has a sudden onset, relatively short duration, mild to
severe intensity with a steady decrease in intensity over a period
of days to weeks.
Once stimuli is resolved the pain usually disappears.
18. Recurrent acute pain :
It is repetitive painful episodes that reoccur over a
prolonged period or throughout the client’s lifetime.
Chronic pain :-
Persistent pain that lasts weeks to years.
Chronic pain usually falls into two categories:
Nociceptive pain is caused by damage to body tissue and
usually described as a sharp, aching, or throbbing pain.
Eg Rheumatoid arthritis, gout, osteoarthritis.
Neuropathic pain occurs when there is actual peripheral or
central nerve damage.
Eg painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
26. PHASES OF PAIN EXPERIENCE:-
It has 3 phases:-
1. The anticipation or fear of pain.
2. The sensation of pain.
3. The aftermath of pain
27. ASSESSMENT OF PAIN :
Pain can be assessed by 3 method. They include-
1. WHATSUP
2. PQRST
3. OLDCART
WHATSUP method include-
W- where is the pain? Be specific. Use drawing of body if necessary.
H – how does the pain feel? Is it shooting, burning, dull, sharp?
A – aggravating and alleviating factors. What makes the pain better? Worse?
T – timing. When did the pain start? Is it intermittent? Continuous?
S – severity. How bad is the pain on a 0 to 10 faces scale.
U – useful other data. Are you experiencing any other symptoms associated
with the pain or pain treatment? Itching, nausea, sedation, constipation?
P – perception. What is the client’s perception of what caused the pain?
28. PQRST method include-
P – provoked
Q- quality
R – region/radiation
S – severity
T – timing
OLDCART method include-
O – onset
L – location
D – duration
C – characteristic
A – aggravating factors
R – radiation
T – treatment
33. MANAGEMENT OF PAIN:
Management of pain include –
1 ) Pharmacological management.
A) Non- opioids.
B) Opioids
C) Adjuvant drugs
2) Surgical management.
3) Physical therapy or Chiropractic therapy.
4) Complementary and alternative medicine.
34. SURGICAL MANAGEMENT
1. Nerve blocks:
Nerve blocks are used to reduced pain by temporarily or
permanently interrupting transmission of nociceptive
input by application of neulolytic agent on the spinal cord.
2. Neuro ablative techniques :
this techniques destroys nerves (peripheral or spinal nerve )
, thereby interrupting pain transmission.
3. Neuro augmentation :
It involves electrical stimulation of brain and spinal cord.
35. CHIROPRACTICE THERAPY
It is the non surgical method which include spinal
manipulation, removal of tension from every cell in the
body ,which results in the relief from pain.
36. ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE:
Distraction therapy.
Aroma therapy.
Exercise and yoga.
Music therapy.
Acupressure therapy
Massage therapy.
37. CUTANEOUS STIMULATION :
Cutaneous stimulation involves stimulation of nerves via
skin contact in an effort to reduce pain impulses to the
brain, based on the "gate control" theory of pain.
38. Hypnosis therapy.
Meditation
Relaxation therapy.
Reiki healing
Guided imagery.
Tai chi technique.