Premium
NEW CONCEPTS OF CAUSE AND MANAGEMENT OF PAIN IN THE ELDERLY
Author(s) -
Helme Robert D.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
australian journal on ageing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1741-6612
pISSN - 0726-4240
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-6612.1986.tb00299.x
Subject(s) - nociceptor , nociception , medicine , neuroscience , stimulation , afferent , sensory system , stimulus modality , noxious stimulus , anesthesia , receptor , psychology
Pain is a sensory and emotional experience and, as such, is always subjective. However, for many patients pain results from stimulation of nociceptors in the somatic structures. This nociceptive information is conveyed to the central nervous system by thinly myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibres. Many unmyelinated fibres have polymodal nociceptors responsive to chemical as well as mechanical and thermal stimuli. These receptors also mediate neurogenic inflammation through the release of neuropeptides from the nerve terminals. The study of nociceptor and afferent nerve function in man, although in its infancy, suggests that it may be possible to assess the contribution of the peripheral nervous system to the total pain experience. One method Is to analyse the neurogenic inflammatory response of polymodal nociceptors in patients with different pain states. One hypothesis is that some treatment modalities may act to desensitize polymodal nociceptors. Some recent evidence for this view obtained in a sample of elderly patients with low back pain is presented.