Saturday, March 26, 2011

Opioid analgesics: what is pain?

opioid analgesic vs pain

  • Pain is a crucial aspect of the body’s defense mechanisms
  • Pain “is a part of a rapid warning relay instruction the motor neurons of the centralnervous system to minimize detected physical harm ”
  • Pain can be classified into two types:

Acute Pain

  • Acute pain is short-term pain or pain with an easily identifiable cause
  • Acute pain “is the body's warning of present damage to tissue or disease. It is often fastand sharp followed by aching pain. Acute pain is centralized in one area before becomingsomewhat spread out. This type of pain responds well to medications ”

Chronic pain

  • Chronic pain is pain that last much longer than pain normally would with a particular injury.
  • Chronic pain can be constant or intermittent and is generally harder to treat than acute pain.
  • Pain can also be grouped by its source and related pain detecting neurons such as cutaneous pain, somatic pain, visceral pain, and neuropathic pain
  • Opioid analgesics can be used to treat many types of pain

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