To correctly identify, as well as accurately assess and manage pain correctly , it is essential to have a clear understanding of the physiological process and transmission that occurs within the body when an individual is experiencing pain. The following paper will explain the physiological process of pain transmission as well as identify the different types of pain, potential influences of pain perception and relate these to paediatric nursing. (Briggs, 2010:35).
According to The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) pain can be described as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual and potential tissue damage." Pain can be of acute or chronic nature. Acute pain, also known as fast pain is a self-protective measure of the body can be defined as pain that subsides with the healing process and is usually only experienced for less than a three month period. (Crisp and Taylor, 2005:1187). Chronic pain can be defined as persistent and prolonged that continues longer than the normal healing process, doesn't have a cause or lasts longer than six months. (Caffrey, et al, 2003:282) .
Pain can also be categorised in regard to a pathophysiological cause: nociceptive as somatic or visceral and neuropathic pain. (Crisp and Taylor, 2005:1187). Pain is a protective pathway which acts to prevent potential or actual injury. (Renn and Dorsey, 2005:278) There are four fundamental processes in pain transmission. (Brown 2005: 133). The initial process begins with transduction, where nociceptors detect the painful stimulus; next is transmission of the nerve signals to the central nervous system. The third process is modulation, where the nerve impulses are influenced by additional impulses within the nervous system. The final stage being perception where the impulses are interpreted by the cerebral cortex. (Brown, 2005:133) .
Pain generally starts with a physical event such as a cut or burn.