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Types and theories of pain - Coggle Diagram
Types and theories of pain
Pain - an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage
Acute pain
Temporary and not too severe
Causes
surgery
broken bones
labour or childbirth
burns or cuts
Usually sudden and sharp pain
Intense pain that lasts until healing begins
Chronic pain
Even though injury has healed, there is still pain
Not as painful as acute pain
Persistent, constant pain that lasts for 3 months or longer
examples
Cancer pain
Headache
Low back pain
Specificity Theory of Pain (Descartes)
The body has a separate sensory system for pain
When there is a noxious event, pain receptors send signals to the pain centre in the brain
This suggests that pain is purely a sensory experience and that pain is directly proportional to the how noxious an event is
Psychogenic pain (Phantom limb) (Melzack)
Different people will suffer from different phantom limb syndrome, because people have different ‘neurosignatures’.
Features
Vivid sensory quality and precise location in space - feeling like they can walk with their phantom leg
Wearing an artificial arm enhances the phantom - feels like it fits like a glove
Sometimes the limb gets stuck in an unusual position
Phantoms have range of sensations like itchiness, warmth, pressure
Melzack suggested that such pain is caused by the neuromatrix continuing to respond to sensory stimuli perceived to be originating in the ‘lost’ limb
Psychogenic pain is caused by prolonged mental, emotional or behavioural factors. It has a psychological origin rather than a physical one (eg: headaches)
Phantom limb is caused by painful sensations from a limb that is no longer there
It is common in amputees or people born without limbs
Mirror boxes can be used to help people with phantom limbs because the person sees the reflection of the good hand moving which appears as if the phantom limb is moving as well
This is useful because it can help 'move; the phantom limb out of potentially painful positions
Gate Control Theory of Pain (Melzack)
The theory argues that nerve impulses which produce pain pass through a series of 'gates' on their way to the brain
These psychological gates can either increase or decrease our perception of pain, regardless of the actual pain we are in
Conditions which open or close the gate include physical, emotional and mental conditions.
If someone is engrossed in doing something interesting, or putting their attention towards something other than the pain, they are less likely to feel more pain