Sodium Channels
(1) Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK Action potential is initiated by voltage-gated sodium channels. Alterations in channel properties can contribute to inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Voltage-gated…
Assessment of Pain in Elderly
(1) Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK Life expectancy is increasing and people are living longer. At the same time, the incidence of persistent pain is increasing….
Pain Assessment in Paediatrics
(1) Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK Pain assessment in children is difficult. Pain is a subjective experience, and children may not be able to provide adequate…
Pain Pathway
(1) Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK The pathway can be divided into peripheral and central. Peripheral pathways are the first point of contact for the painful…
Neuropathic Pain
(1) Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK IASP defines neuropathic pain as “pain caused by lesion or disease of the somatosensory system”. Neuropathic pain comprises pain, paraesthesia…
Assessment of Neuropathic Pain
(1) Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK Neuropathic pain is the pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system (IASP definition). The challenge…
Psychological Assessment of Chronic Pain
(1) Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK Assessment of chronic pain is not as straightforward as acute pain as patients often have accompanying anxiety and depression. They…
Assessment and Measurement of Acute Pain
(1) Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK Assessment of acute pain includes appropriate pain history and evaluation with regard to different aspects of pain including functional impairment….
Pain Processing
(1) Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK 3.1 Peripheral Mechanisms The activation of nociceptors depends on the magnitude of the stimuli. A stimulus larger than the threshold…
