Pain Relief Glossary

Acupuncture - Ancient practice perfected by the Chinese in which needles are inserted in the body to prevent stress and pain.
Acute pain - Sudden and severe pain caused usually by injury.
Analgesics - Medications that can reduce pain.
Anesthetic - Medication that reduces pain.
Anti-inflammatory - Drug that is good at reducing inflammation.
Arthritis - Painful condition that causes inflammation, swelling and stiffness to joints.
Bradycardia - A heart rate that is slow.
Central pain - A primary lesion or dysfunction to the central nervous system which initiates pain.
Cervical vertebrae - The spinal cord which houses the first seven bones.
Chronic pain - Pain that continues for more than three months. Delirium Disorientation and hallucinations brought on by a mental state.
Delta receptors - A term that is used to refer to two subtypes of opioid receptors. They are delta-1 and delta-2. They possess many features that are in common, but are not present in the mu receptors or kappa receptors.
Drowsiness - Anytime someone goes too long without sleep or is caused by some medication.
Dimorphic - A selective agonist for the kappa opioid receptors whose function is from an endogenous peptide.
FDA - A branch of government called the Food and Drug Administration.
Hallucination - Abnormal visions or thoughts that are false in nature.
Headache - Pain in the head that can be caused by many factors such as migraine, cluster, or tension.
Hives - An allergic reaction to a substance. Hypothermia A low body temperature that is abnormal in nature.
Ligaments - Cordlike bands of tissue that connect bones together.
Miosis - When the pupil contracts.
Nausea - Feeling sick to the stomach.
Nerve block - Medication is injected into or around a nerve causing pain
Opioids - Synthetic drugs used to treat moderate to severe pain. They mimic opiates like morphine and codeine.
Orthostatic hypotension - A low blood pressure upon standing.
Overdose - A dangerous condition of taking too much medication.
Pain - A symptom that signals the body that something is not right.
Painkillers - Any form of medication that can lessen pain.
Pain management - A specialty is which pain is managed as best as possible by a pain management doctor.
Pain medicine - Medication used by a pain management doctor to control pain.
Pain relief - The absence of pain through treatment with medication and/or physical therapy.
Rotator cuff - Muscle and tendon bands that hold the shoulder together.
Sciatica - Pain that radiates down the butt and legs.
Semi-synthetic opiate/opioid - A drug that is manufactured using opium.
Side effects - Anything out of the ordinary or unusual relating to any medication or drug.
Synthetic opiate/opioid - A drug that does not use opium, but actually mimics it in the control of pain.
Tachycardia - A heart rate that is faster than normal.
Tramadol - An opioid used as a pain reliever for moderate to severe pain.
Trigger point - In fibromyalgia patients, there are specific areas that if they are touched, severe pain is produced.
Tumor - A mass somewhere in the body that can be benign or malignant due to abnormally fast cell growth.
Urinary retention - Inability to urinate, sometimes caused by medication.
Vomit - Contents of stomach are released through the mouth.