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There is no way to tell how much pain a person has. No test can
measure the intensity of pain, no imaging device can show pain,
and no instrument can locate pain precisely. Sometimes, as in
the case of headaches, physicians find that the best aid to diagnosis
is the patient's own description of the type, duration, and location
of pain. Defining pain as sharp or dull, constant or intermittent,
burning or aching may give the best clues to the cause of pain.
These descriptions are part of what is called the pain history,
taken by the physician during the preliminary examination of a
patient with pain.
Physicians, however,
do have a number of technologies they use to find the cause of
pain. Primarily these include:
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Electrodiagnostic
procedures include electromyography (EMG), nerve conduction
studies, and evoked potential (EP) studies. Information
from EMG can help physicians tell precisely which muscles
or nerves are affected by weakness or pain. Thin needles
are inserted in muscles and a physician can see or listen
to electrical signals displayed on an EMG machine. With
nerve conduction studies the doctor uses two sets of electrodes
(similar to those used during an electrocardiogram) that
are placed on the skin over the muscles. The first set
gives the patient a mild shock that stimulates the nerve
that runs to that muscle. The second set of electrodes
is used to make a recording of the nerve's electrical
signals, and from this information the doctor can determine
if there is nerve damage. EP tests also involve two sets
of electrodes-one set for stimulating a nerve (these electrodes
are attached to a limb) and another set on the scalp for
recording the speed of nerve signal transmission to the
brain.
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Imaging, especially
magnetic resonance imaging or MRI, provides physicians
with pictures of the body's structures and tissues. MRI
uses magnetic fields and radio waves to differentiate
between healthy and diseased tissue.
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A neurological
examination in which the physician tests movement, reflexes,
sensation, balance, and coordination.
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X-rays produce
pictures of the body's structures, such as bones and joints
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This health article is made available by Dr. Rel Gray, MD a Pain Managemental Specialist. Pain managemental office at 206 E. Reynolds Drive # C2 Ruston, LA 71270. Dr. Rel Gray, MD is easily accessible from Union, Ouachita, Lincoln, Jackson, Claiborne, Bienville, Bernice, Downsville, Farmerville, Calhoun, Choudrant, Dubach, Grambling, Ruston, Simsboro, Eros, Hodge, Jonesboro, Quitman, Athens, Lisbon, Arcadia, Bienville, Gibsland.
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STATE
OF THE ART PAIN MANAGEMENTAL CARE
ONE PATIENT AT A TIME |
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