039 [TEXT
Socrates. Ancient Greek Philosopher, probably had a lot to say on the subject of pain as an existential quandary.
Also a mnemonic, which is an ancient Greek word for memory aid. In this case, a memory aid for pain assessment and diagnosis. When you go see your doctor because something hurts, the questions he'll run through will you will always be along the same lines.
S: is for Site. "Can you show me where it hurts?"
O: is for Onset. "What triggers the pain?"
C: is for Character. "What type of pain is it? Dull, stabbing, burning...?"
R: is for Radiation. "Has the pain spread out since it started?"
A: is for Associations. "Do you have any other symptoms along with the pain?"
T: is for Time course. "When did it start hurting? Is it continual or intermittent?"
E: is for Exacerbating/ Alleviating factors. "Is there anything you do that makes it worse or better?"
S: is for Severity. "How bad is the pain on a scale of one to ten?"
We can learn a surprising amount from socrates. Patient comes in with a stomach ache (site) that's a burning pain (character) which feels better after a meal (alleviation), the doctor can probably send them away with a packet of antacids for heartburn. If the stomach pain is constant (time) and intense (severity) radiating out to overlay the groin (radiation) it could be associated with renal problems. Localised pain relived by sitting still (alleviation) might be peritonitis. And you just thought your stomach hurt.
Pain is subjective, which means the way you feel pain is the same for everyone, but how much you feel can vary widely from person to person. Three centres in your brain process painful stimuli: the somatosensory cortex identifies and localises the pain, your frontal cortex assigns meaning to the pain, and your limbic system weighs up the emotional suffering the pain causes you. Only one of those processes is strictly relying on the facts. How much or how little pain you feel can be exacerbated by shock, fear or anxiety, even genetics. Women are typically thought of as having higher pain thresholds than men, but they're more prone to emotional stress, which might make how they experience it worse. Studies have shown female redheads to have a mutated pain receptor - MC1r - which means they need higher levels of anaesthetic to block pain, and lower levels of opioids. Pain is a useful diagnostic tool, but there's nothing cut and dried about what it means.
Socrates, the philosopher not the mnemonic, died after being forced to drink poison hemlock, which is a neurotoxin known to induce an ascending muscular paralysis. Ironically, this means reports of his death state that, when questioned, he felt no pain at all.
[Private to Ginny Weasley:]
I've got time to start working with you on that arm this friday, if you think you're up to it.
Also a mnemonic, which is an ancient Greek word for memory aid. In this case, a memory aid for pain assessment and diagnosis. When you go see your doctor because something hurts, the questions he'll run through will you will always be along the same lines.
S: is for Site. "Can you show me where it hurts?"
O: is for Onset. "What triggers the pain?"
C: is for Character. "What type of pain is it? Dull, stabbing, burning...?"
R: is for Radiation. "Has the pain spread out since it started?"
A: is for Associations. "Do you have any other symptoms along with the pain?"
T: is for Time course. "When did it start hurting? Is it continual or intermittent?"
E: is for Exacerbating/ Alleviating factors. "Is there anything you do that makes it worse or better?"
S: is for Severity. "How bad is the pain on a scale of one to ten?"
We can learn a surprising amount from socrates. Patient comes in with a stomach ache (site) that's a burning pain (character) which feels better after a meal (alleviation), the doctor can probably send them away with a packet of antacids for heartburn. If the stomach pain is constant (time) and intense (severity) radiating out to overlay the groin (radiation) it could be associated with renal problems. Localised pain relived by sitting still (alleviation) might be peritonitis. And you just thought your stomach hurt.
Pain is subjective, which means the way you feel pain is the same for everyone, but how much you feel can vary widely from person to person. Three centres in your brain process painful stimuli: the somatosensory cortex identifies and localises the pain, your frontal cortex assigns meaning to the pain, and your limbic system weighs up the emotional suffering the pain causes you. Only one of those processes is strictly relying on the facts. How much or how little pain you feel can be exacerbated by shock, fear or anxiety, even genetics. Women are typically thought of as having higher pain thresholds than men, but they're more prone to emotional stress, which might make how they experience it worse. Studies have shown female redheads to have a mutated pain receptor - MC1r - which means they need higher levels of anaesthetic to block pain, and lower levels of opioids. Pain is a useful diagnostic tool, but there's nothing cut and dried about what it means.
Socrates, the philosopher not the mnemonic, died after being forced to drink poison hemlock, which is a neurotoxin known to induce an ascending muscular paralysis. Ironically, this means reports of his death state that, when questioned, he felt no pain at all.
[Private to Ginny Weasley:]
I've got time to start working with you on that arm this friday, if you think you're up to it.