Acupuncture
Oriental
practice of inserting needles into the skin at points
(Meridians) of the body to help relieve pain and treat
illness.
Acute
Pain
Sharp
or intense short-term pain. Typically follows injury
or surgery.
Addiction
Psychological
or emotional need for a drug. Associated with cravings
and inappropriate efforts to obtain the drug.
Algology
The
science and study of pain phenomena.
Allodynia
The
sensation of pain triggered by a stimulus to the skin
that is normally not painful (e.g., lightly touching a
sunburn).
Analgesia
Absence
or decreased pain response to stimulation that would normally
be painful.
Analgesic
Medicine
used to relieve pain.
Anesthesia
Absence
or partial loss of sensation.
Anesthetic
An
agent (or agents) that reversibly produce anesthesia.
Anti-inflammatory
A
medicine that reduces inflammation.
Arthropathy
Disorder
or disease of a joint.
Athralgia
Pain
in or affecting a joint.
Causalgia
Intense
pain and sensitivity usually following injury to a peripheral
nerve.
Central
Pain
Pain
associated with a lesion or dysfunction of the central
nervous system.
Chronic
Pain
The
opposite of acute pain. Persistent, long-term pain.
Deafferentation
Pain
Pain
due to the loss of normal sensory input into the central
nervous system.
Dermatome
An
area of skin supplied by fibers of a single nerve root.
Dysesthesia
An
abnormal, unpleasant sensation.
Epidural
An
injection into the outer layer of the spinal canal (the
epidural space).
Hyperalgesia
Increased
sensitivity to pain.
Hyperesthesia
Abnormal,
acute sensitivity to sensory stimulation of the skin.
Hypoalgesia
Diminished
sensitivity to sensory stimulation of the skin.
Narcotic
Usually
refers to opioids--pain-relieving drugs that are derivatives
of opium.
Nerve
Block
An
injection of medication directly into or around a nerve
or group of nerves to provide regional pain relief.
Neuralgia
Pain
in the distribution of a nerve or nerves and caused by
nerve damage or dysfunction.
Neuritis
Inflammation
of a nerve or nerves.
Neuropathic
Pain
Pain
originating from the malfunctioning of the nervous system.
Neuropathy
Disturbance
of function or pathologic change in one or more nerves.
Nociceptive
Response
to a painful stimulus.
Nociceptor
A
sensory nerve receptor that responds to pain.
Noxious
Stimulus
A
stimulus that is harmful or potentially harmful to body
tissue, and triggers a painful or unpleasant sensation.
Opioid
or Opiate
A
pain-killing drug chemically related to opium.
Pain
An
unpleasant feeling that may be associated with disease
or trauma.
Pain
Threshold
The
most minimal stimulation that a person recognizes as painful—this
varies from individual to individual.
Pain
Tolerance Level
The
greatest amount of pain a person can tolerate.
Paresthesia
An
abnormal sensation such as tingling or ‘pins and needles’
that may be uncomfortable, but not truly painful.
Radiculitis
Inflammation
of a nerve root in the spinal canal.
Radiculopathy
Pain
and neurologic deficit caused by injury to a nerve root.
Referred
Pain
Pain
felt in a body part that is distant from the pain origin.
The origin and the body part may share a common nerve
pathway.
Rhizotomy
Surgical
incision of nerve root(s) within the spinal canal.
Somatosensory
Sensory
signals from the body—usually referring to signals from
the limbs rather than internal organs.
Trigger
Point
An
area in muscle or connective tissue that is hypersensitive
to touch or pressure.
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