Glossary of Terms
Acute Pain
Sharp or intense short-term pain. Typically follows injury or surgery.
Analgesia
Absence or decreased pain response to stimulation that would normally be painful.
Anti-Inflammatory
A medicine that reduces inflammation.
Central Pain
Pain associated with a lesion or dysfunction of the central nervous system.
Dysesthesia
An abnormal, unpleasant sensation..
Hypoalgesia
Diminished sensitivity to sensory stimulation of the skin.
Neuritis
Inflammation of a nerve or nerves.
Nociceptor
A sensory nerve receptor that responds to pain.
Pain Threshold
The most minimal stimulation that a person recognizes as painful—this varies from individual to individual.
Radiculopathy
Pain and neurologic deficit caused by injury to a nerve root. (Link to sciatica animation)
Trigger Point
An area in muscle or connective tissue that is hypersensitive to touch or pressure.
Addiction
Psychological or emotional need for a drug. Associated with cravings and inappropriate efforts to obtain the drug.
Analgesic
An agent (or agents) that reversibly produce anesthesia.
Arthropathy
Disorder or disease of a joint.
Chronic Pain
The opposite of acute pain. Persistent, long-term pain.
Epidural
An injection into the outer layer of the spinal canal (the epidural space).
Narcotic
Usually refers to opioids – pain-relieving drugs that are derivatives of opium.
Neuropathic Pain
Pain originating from the malfunctioning of the nervous system.
Noxious Stimulus
A stimulus that is harmful or potentially harmful to body tissue, and triggers a painful or unpleasant sensation.
Pain Tolerance Level
The greatest amount of pain a person can tolerate.
Referred Pain
Pain felt in a body part that is distant from the pain origin. The origin and the body part may share a common nerve pathway.
What is minimally invasive spine surgery?
Minimally invasive spine surgery involves surgery that is able to be performed on an outpatient basis, through a small keyhole incision rather than having to make a large open incision to reach the patient’s spine. By performing surgery this way, there is a little scar tissue formation over the nerves that are decompressed, the surgery is tissue sparing, maintains the structural integrity of the spine, and makes for a faster and less painful recovery.
Algology
The science and study of pain phenomena.
Anesthesia
Absence or partial loss of sensation.
Arthralgia
Pain in or affecting a joint.
Deafferentation Pain
Pain due to the loss of normal sensory input into the central nervous system.
Hyperalgesia
Increased sensitivity to pain.
Nerve Block
An injection of medication directly into or around a nerve or group of nerves to provide regional pain relief.
Neuropathy
Disturbance of function or pathologic change in one or more nerves.
Opioid or Opiate
A pain-killing drug chemically related to opium.
Paresthesia
An abnormal sensation such as tingling or ‘pins and needles’ that may be uncomfortable, but not truly painful.
Rhizotomy
Surgical incision of nerve root(s) within the spinal canal.
Allodynia
The sensation of pain triggered by a stimulus to the skin that is normally not painful (e.g., lightly touching a sunburn).
Anesthetic
An agent (or agents) that reversibly produce anesthesia.
Causalgia
Intense pain and sensitivity usually following injury to a peripheral nerve.
Deramatome
An area of skin supplied by fibers of a single nerve root.
Hyperesthesia
Abnormal, acute sensitivity to sensory stimulation of the skin.
Neuralgia
Pain in the distribution of a nerve or nerves and caused by nerve damage or dysfunction.
Nociceptive
Response to a painful stimulus.
Pain
An unpleasant feeling that may be associated with disease or trauma.
Radiculitis
Inflammation of a nerve root in the spinal canal.
Somatosensory
Sensory signals from the body—usually referring to signals from the limbs rather than internal organs.