Sigh of Relief
This type of pain has a clear stimulus-response relationship, is localized to the area of injury, and is proportionate to the mechanical nature of the stimulus.
What is Nociceptive Pain?
These are the types of constitutional signs that should prompt a referral, such as recent fevers, diaphoresis, or unexplained weight loss.
What are Constitutional Signs?
This advanced imaging modality is the gold standard for visualizing soft tissue, such as disc herniations or neural compression.
What is MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)?
This is the process of thinking about how you think—refining and comparing symptoms—which is central to the screening process.
What is Metacognition?
A physical therapist should look for these, such as sensory loss, weakness, or altered reflexes, to differentiate radiculopathy from radicular pain.
What are Neurological Findings ("Hard" signs)?
These afferent fibers are small, unmyelinated, and conduct slower, often producing dull, aching, or burning pain that can be blocked by opioids.
What are C-afferent fibers?
This specific blood pressure reading requires immediate referral for hypertensive crisis.
What is systolic > 180 and/or diastolic > 120
On a radiograph of the spine, this "line" or density indicates the vertebral endplate, which is crucial for evaluating disc space integrity.
What is the Subchondral Bone plate?
Pain in this region during the thoracic screening might actually be referred from the diaphragm, which shares innervation at C3-C5.
What is the Shoulder?
This set of screening tools is used to assess depression, fear-avoidance beliefs, and pain catastrophizing in patients with persistent pain.
What are the PHQ-2, FABQ, and PCS?
This pain mechanism is described as "no longer an issue with the tissue" and involves a disproportionate, non-mechanical, and unpredictable pattern of pain.
What is Central Sensitization (Nociplastic pain)?
Visceral pain patterns are often mimicked by this type of clinical presentation, which does not typically respond to rest or recumbency.
What is Visceral Pain?
When evaluating the cervical spine, this view is essential to assess the atlanto-axial joint and the odontoid process.
What is the Open-Mouth (Odontoid) View?
If a patient presents with predominantly axial low back pain, low psychosocial risk, and minor comorbidities, this management approach is appropriate.
What is Self-Care Management?
This specific neurodynamic test is used to stress the sciatic nerve to reproduce peripheral neurogenic symptoms.
What is the Straight Leg Raise (SLR) Test?
This theory suggests that the activation of A-beta fibers (e.g., rubbing your arm) competes with and inhibits the transmission of noxious stimuli to the brain.
What is the Gate Control Theory?
This syndrome, often associated with a massive disc herniation, presents with "red flags" including saddle anesthesia and bowel/bladder dysfunction.
What is Cauda Equina Syndrome?
This clinical decision rule is often used to determine the necessity of radiographs for patients with recent trauma to the cervical spine.
What is the Canadian C-Spine Rule?
This is the term for pain traveling along the path of a nerve, usually described as shooting, sharp, or electric.
What is Radicular Pain?
These neurons are responsible for proprioception, and their conduction speed is much faster than pain afferents.
What are A-alpha neurons?
Unlike somatic pain, visceral pain is often diffuse and vague because organs lack specific these, relying instead on autonomic afferents.
What are somatosensory afferent nerves (or nociceptors)?
When triaging a patient, this category includes conditions that preclude rehabilitation and require medical oversight.
What is Medical Management?
This imaging term refers to the "bright" appearance of fluid or edema on a T2-weighted MRI, often indicating acute pathology or inflammation.
What is High Signal Intensity?
Embryologic development and this process are two major reasons why visceral pain is referred to somatic structures.
What is Multisegmental Innervation?
This specific type of pain is characterized by burning or lancinating quality and is accompanied by signs of neurological dysfunction.
What is Neuropathic Pain?