| A | B |
|---|
| acute pain | intense, unpleasant sensation of short duration, lasting less than 6 months |
| chronic pain | pain lasting longer than 6 months; can be as intense as acute pain; can be continuous or intermittent. |
| endorphins | any one of the neuropeptides composed of many amino acids, elaborated by the pituitary gland and acting on the central and peripheeral nervous systems to reduce pain. |
| gate control theory | suggests that pain impulses can be regulated or even blocked by gating mechanisms located along the central nervous system. |
| non-rapid eye movement (NREM) | one of two highly individualized sleeping states divided into four stages through which a sleeper progresses during a typical sleeping cycle; represents three fourths of a period of typical sleep. |
| noxious | A stimulation of the sensory nerve endings that is harmful, or detrimental to physical health |
| patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) | A drug delivery system that dispenses a preset intravneous dose of an opiod analgesic into a patient's vein when patient pushes a switch on an electric cord. |
| rapid eye movement (REM) | One of the two highly individualized sleeping states that follows NREM state. May last from a few minutes to a half an hour and alternate with NREM periods; daydreaming occurs during this time |
| referred pain | Pain that is felt at a site other than in the injured or diseased organ or part of the body. |
| synergistic | Action of two or more substances or organs to achieve an effect of which each is capable |
| transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) | A special pain relief system that uses a battery-operated device that proveds a continuous, mild electric current to the skin via electrodes that are attached to a stimulator by flexible wires. |
| visual analog scale | An objective means of assessing pain severity; it consists of a straight line, representing a continuum of intensity, and has visual descriptors at each end. |
