ABA Pain Medicine study guide
ABA Pain Medicine · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Pain Medicine is one of the subspecialty exams listed by the American Board of Anesthesiology. The ABA presents subspecialty certification as a step that diplomates can take after initial certification, extending their practice into multidisciplinary fields. The ABA Pain Medicine study guide has 6 sections and about 2,009 words.
01Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology of Pain
Nociception begins when noxious stimuli activate free nerve endings; A-delta fibers carry sharp, fast first pain and C fibers carry dull, slow second pain. Primary afferents synapse in the dorsal horn, where glutamate, substance P, and other transmitters modulate transmission.
293 words, about 1 min02Pain Assessment, Diagnosis, and Evaluation
Start with the patient's story: onset, quality, location, radiation, timing, aggravating and relieving factors, associated symptoms, function, sleep, mood, and prior treatments. Use a numeric rating scale for immediacy but pair it with function and a multidimensional instrument such as a brief pain inventory when possible.
298 words, about 1 min03Pharmacologic Pain Management
Treat pain with a mechanism-informed, multimodal plan and reassess benefit and harm. Nonopioid foundations include acetaminophen and NSAIDs when not contraindicated, topical agents for localized pain, and selected adjuvants such as gabapentinoids, SNRIs, or TCAs for neuropathic pain.
289 words, about 1 min04Interventional Pain Management
Interventional pain management includes trigger point and joint injections, epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, radiofrequency ablation, spinal cord stimulation, and intrathecal drug delivery. Success depends on patient selection, accurate diagnosis, informed consent, sterile technique, and a plan to measure functional response.
278 words, about 1 min05Psychological, Behavioral, and Rehabilitation Approaches
Pain is modulated by attention, appraisal, mood, sleep, and learning. Cognitive behavioral therapy targets unhelpful beliefs and teaches coping skills.
282 words, about 1 min06Multidisciplinary and Comprehensive Pain Management
Comprehensive pain management uses the biopsychosocial model and a team that may include medicine, nursing, physical and occupational therapy, psychology, pharmacy, and social work. Interdisciplinary care is more than multidisciplinary care: team members share assessment, goals, and a coordinated plan.
569 words, about 3 min