ABA Pain Medicine key terms

A sensory nerve ending that detects potentially damaging mechanical, thermal, or chemical stimuli and converts them into electrical signals sent toward the spinal cord.

A thinly myelinated primary sensory axon that carries fast, sharp, well-localized pain signals from skin and deep tissues to the dorsal horn.

An unmyelinated slow-conducting sensory axon that signals dull, burning, or aching pain and contributes to prolonged central changes after injury.

A cluster of sensory neuron cell bodies beside the spinal cord whose peripheral and central branches transmit somatic and visceral signals into the dorsal horn.

An ascending pathway crossing near the spinal cord and carrying pain and temperature information through the brainstem to the thalamus and cortex.

Increased excitability of spinal and brain pain pathways after repeated input, producing amplified responses, expanded receptive fields, and pain beyond the original injury.

Progressive increase in dorsal horn neuron firing during repeated C-fiber stimulation, reflecting short-term synaptic plasticity that contributes to central sensitization.

Top-down control from brainstem and cortical regions that can suppress or enhance spinal pain transmission through opioid, serotonergic, and noradrenergic mechanisms.

Midbrain gray matter surrounding the aqueduct that coordinates descending analgesia and defensive responses through connections to the medulla and spinal cord.

Pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system, often described as burning, shooting, or electric and accompanied by sensory loss or hypersensitivity.

Pain evoked by a stimulus that normally does not cause pain, such as light touch or mild cooling, reflecting altered sensory processing.

Increased pain intensity from a stimulus that is normally painful, which may occur at the injury site or in surrounding tissue.

A self-report tool asking patients to rate pain intensity from zero, meaning no pain, to ten, meaning worst pain imaginable.

A clinician-administered questionnaire that combines seven sensory descriptors with three bedside tests to support a clinical diagnosis of neuropathic pain.

A psychophysical test in which one painful stimulus reduces the pain produced by a second painful stimulus, reflecting endogenous descending inhibitory capacity.

Standardized measurement of responses to calibrated thermal, mechanical, or electrical stimuli used to characterize sensory gain, loss, and pain processing.

The dose of one analgesic that produces approximately the same pain relief as a stated dose of another, used when converting between opioids.

Changing from one opioid to another, often because of inadequate analgesia or intolerable adverse effects, using equianalgesic conversion and reduced starting doses.

A paradoxical increase in pain sensitivity during opioid therapy that is distinct from tolerance and may worsen as the dose rises.

A medication whose primary approved use is not pain relief but that treats specific pain mechanisms, such as gabapentinoids for neuropathic pain or antidepressants for centralized pain.

A potentially life-threatening drug reaction causing agitation, tremor, clonus, hyperreflexia, fever, and autonomic instability after serotonergic agents are combined or overdosed.

A short-acting opioid receptor antagonist used to reverse respiratory depression and overdose, often requiring repeat doses because its duration is brief.

A programmable pump allowing a patient to self-administer small intravenous opioid doses within preset limits, commonly for acute postoperative pain.

Injection of local anesthetic near the medial branches of spinal dorsal rami to diagnose facet joint–mediated pain; temporary relief supports proceeding to denervation.

Use of heat generated by radiofrequency current to lesion small nerves, commonly medial branches, for longer-lasting relief of facet-mediated pain.

Delivery of corticosteroid, often with local anesthetic, into the epidural space to reduce inflammation and pain from radicular or spinal conditions.

Implanted electrodes deliver electrical pulses to dorsal spinal cord circuits, modulating pain transmission, typically for chronic refractory neuropathic limb pain.

Injection or infusion of local anesthetic around sympathetic ganglia or plexuses to interrupt sympathetic outflow and treat complex regional or vascular pain.

Needle injection of local anesthetic or saline into a palpable taut band to relieve focal myofascial pain and referred symptoms.

A maladaptive cognitive pattern of magnifying pain threat, rumination, and helplessness that predicts greater clinical disability and poorer treatment response.

A rehabilitation approach in which patients gradually perform feared movements or activities, building tolerance and reducing avoidance without triggering severe flares.

A structured psychological treatment that modifies unhelpful thoughts and behaviors related to pain and teaches coping skills to reduce distress and disability.

A psychological approach encouraging acceptance of difficult sensations and commitment to valued action, reducing struggle with pain rather than eliminating it.

A behavioral model in which consequences such as attention, rest, or reward shape pain behaviors and activity patterns, guiding reinforcement-based rehabilitation.

A framework explaining pain and disability through interacting biological, psychological, and social factors rather than a single simple tissue cause.

Coordinated structured care by physicians, psychologists, physiotherapists, and other clinicians who share assessment and treatment goals for complex persistent pain.

A tiered approach starting with low-intensity, low-risk treatments and advancing to more intensive or invasive options when outcomes are inadequate.

A process of explaining a proposed treatment's purpose, benefits, risks, alternatives, and uncertainties so the patient can meaningfully decide voluntarily.

A state database tracking controlled substance prescriptions that clinicians check to identify risky patient patterns and support safer opioid prescribing.

Risk-reduction practices applied to every pain patient, including screening, treatment agreements, monitoring, and urine testing rather than targeting only suspected misuse.