Glossary

Author: Glossary

  • Periodontal pain

    A discrete, well-localized pain caused by inflammation of tissues surrounding a tooth. This may be contrasted with the throbbing, nonlocalized pain typical of a toothache or pulpal pain.  

  • Paresthesic pain

    A stinging or tingling sensation manifested in central and peripheral nerve lesions.  

  • Objective pain

    Pain induced by some external or internal irritant, by inflammation, or by injury to nerves, organs, or other tissues that interferes with the function, nutrition, or circulation of the affected part. It is usually traceable to a definite pathologic process.  

  • Night pain

    Pain that awakens the patient at night or interferes with sleep; may be due to infection, inflammation, neurovascular compromise, or severe structural damage.  

  • Lung pain

    Sharp pain in the region of the lungs.  

  • Lingual pain

    Pain in the tongue that may be due to local lesions, glossitis, fissures, or pernicious anemia.  

  • Lightning pain

    A sudden brief pain that may be repetitive, usually in the legs but may be at any location. It is associated with tabes dorsalis and other neurological disorders.  

  • Intractable pain

    Chronic pain that is difficult or impossible to manage with standard interventions. Common causes include metastatic cancer, chronic pancreatitis, radiculopathy, spinal cord transection, or peripheral neuropathy. Intractable pain may also accompany somatoform disorders, depression, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and opiate dependence. Various combinations of the following management strategies are often used to treat intractable pain:…

  • Intermenstrual pain

    Episodic, localized pelvic discomfort that occurs between menstrual periods, possibly accompanying ovulation. Pain in the pelvic region that arises between menstrual cycles can have various causes. In one form, the discomfort appears midway through the menstrual cycle, typically during ovulation.  

  • Inflammatory pain

    Pain in the presence of inflammation that is increased by pressure. Pain produced as a consequence of a peripheral inflammation, either acute or chronic. A normal kind of pain, associated with the healing of wounds, it can also become persistent, chronic, and pathologic.