Prepare a short “lecture” of no longer than 5 minutes (200 words), explaining to a patient what pain is, its possible causes, why different people experience pain differently and what the generally important principles of pain management and referral involve. The videos above will also be of value to complete this assignment. 

Pain is an Uncomfortable, subjective sensory and emotional experience. It can be Associated with actual or potential tissue damage. Acute pain can be seen as skin, bone, joint, muscle, connective tissue pain. Visceral can be pain in the internal organs, e.g. large intestine and pancreas. Chronic functional and neuropathic pain can be fibromyalgia, IBS, tension-type headache Neuropathic can be nerve damage, postherpetic neuralgia, diabetic neuropathy. Pain intensity can be measured from 0 to 10, from 0 being no pain to 10 being Excruciating pain. Pain can also have a character sharp, dull aching or burning. This can be recognised by tissue damage which has nociceptors which send signals from the tissue to spinal cord to the brain. The brain responds to pain by the motor pathway. Endorphins and enkephalins are released when in pain help regulate and reduce pain. Sensitivity and efficacy of the brain circuit determines how much pain you feel. That’s how people have different perceptions of pain.

Brand, L. 2021. Opioid analgesics and antagonists. SU. 11 [PowerPoint Presentation]. Unpublished Lecture Notes on eFundi, FKLG 312. Potchefstroom, NWU.

Katzung, B.G. 2018. Basic and Clinical Pharmacology. 14^th ed. United States of America: McGraw-Hill Education