SUMMARY The trigeminal system is involved in processing nociceptive information from the oral, facial, and cranial territories. Trigeminal mechanisms of nociception have some specific features, and these are outlined in this chapter. The more relevant features of the central processing…
SUMMARY This chapter provides an overview of the nature of childbirth pain, its analgesic management, and the resulting impact on the safety of the mother, the fetus, and the newborn. This chapter examines the lessons learned from the history of…
SUMMARY Chronic pain localized to the lower abdominal, groin, or perineal region is a common clinical entity with multiple causes. Yet specific mechanisms for many common urogenital pain syndromes are still unknown. The different sources of urogenital pain and their…
SUMMARY The diagnosis of abdominal pain, a challenging task that physicians often face, ranges from life-threatening conditions to chronic functional disorders with little mortality but significant impact on health-related quality of life. Although acute abdominal pain of organic etiology is…
SUMMARY Thoracic pain can signal acute life-threatening disease, and this drives the need for accurate and timely diagnosis in patients with such pain. Obtaining a diagnosis is not always straightforward since many conditions that are more benign can convincingly be…
SUMMARY Afferent (sensory) innervation of the viscera typically involves the bilateral spinal and, for all thoracic and most abdominal organs, vagal afferents as well. Mechanosensitive spinal afferents readily sensitize and encode into the noxious range, whereas vagal afferents contribute principally…
SUMMARY Non-specific arm pain (NSAP) is a common chronic upper limb pain disorder that has previously been referred to as repetitive strain injury. NSAP is frequently associated with tasks that involve repetitive upper limb activities, such as intense computer use…
SUMMARY Low back pain (LBP) is a tremendous medical and socio-economic problem. Many individual, psychosocial, and occupational risk factors for the onset of LBP have been identified, but their independent prognostic value is usually low. A number of factors have…
SUMMARY Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a common, chronically painful soft tissue pain condition. The typical finding is chronic widespread pain and tenderness to palpation as a result of a generalized low pain threshold. Associated or co-morbid manifestations may include chronically…
SUMMARY An estimated 21% of American adults, including 50% of those 65 years or older, have arthritis. Of these, osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are among the most common. OA is a disease of total joint failure; it affects…