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Allodynia - Suggested for pain after stimulation which is not
normally painful. Hyperesthesia includes both allodynia and hyperalgesia, but the more
specific terms should be used wherever they are applicable - lowered threshold:
stimulus and response mode differ |
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Analgesia - Absence of pain in response to stimulation which
would normally be painful. |
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Anesthesia Dolorosa - Pain in an area or region which is
anesthetic. |
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Arachnoiditis - An inflammation/swelling of
the arachnoid membranes around the nerve roots. Later stages can cause
pain. People who have Arachnoiditis describe the pain as a burning type
pain. The pain is located in the lower back region and often times
radiates into the legs. |
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Arnold-Chiari Malformation - ACMI
or ACMII - |
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C |
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CAT Scan - |
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Causalgia - A syndrome of sustained burning pain, allodynia, and
hyperpathia after a traumatic nerve lesion, often combined with vasomotor and sudomotor
dysfunction and later trophic changes. |
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Central pain - Pain initiated or caused by a primary lesion or
dysfunction in the central nervous system. |
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Cervical Region - ( C1 TO C8 ) The eight pairs of cervical spinal
nerves interconnect, forming two networks, the cervical plexus (C1 to C4 ) and the brachial
plexus ( C5 to C8, and T1). These innervate the back of the head, the neck, shoulders, arms,
and hands, as well as the diaphragm. |
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Chiari - |
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Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
(CRPS) -
complex form of neuropathic pain associated with hyperpathia; neurovascular instability,
neuroinflammation, and limbic system dysfunction. There is often swelling, skin rashes/blistering,
stiffness of joints, uncomfortable temperature changes of the affected area, extreme sensitivity
whereby even slight touch means unbearable added pain, nausea, vomiting, lack of sleep,
inability to concentrate or remember and a sense of confusion. This is on top of the intense
pain. See RSD.
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CT Scan - |
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CSF - Cerebral Spinal Fluid - fluid contained by the dura,
surrounding the spinal cord. |
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Dura - |
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Dysesthesia - An unpleasant abnormal sensation, whether spontaneous
or evoked. Note: Compare with pain and with paresthesia. Special cases of dysesthesia include
hyperalgesia and allodynia. A dysesthesia should always be unpleasant and a paresthesia should not
be unpleasant, although it is recognized that the borderline may present some difficulties when
it comes to deciding as to whether a sensation is pleasant or unpleasant. It should always be
specified whether the sensations are spontaneous or evoked. |
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G |
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H |
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Hemangiomas - |
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Hemiparesis - muscular weakness or paralysis restricted to one
side of the body (as seen in strokes). |
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Hydroencephalus - |
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Hyperpathia - A painful syndrome characterized by an abnormally
painful reaction to a stimulus, especially a repetitive stimulus, as well as an increased
threshold - raised threshold: stimulus and response mode may be the increased response: same
or different. Note: It may occur with allodynia, hyperesthesia, hyperalgesia, or dysesthesia.
Faulty identification and localization of the stimulus, delay, radiating sensation, and after-
sensation may be present, and the pain is often explosive in character. The changes in this note
are the specification of allodynia and the inclusion of hyperalgesia explicitly. Previously
hyperalgesia was implied, since hyperesthesia was mentioned in the previous note and hyperalgesia
is a special case of hyperesthesia. |
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Hyper-reflexive - |
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Hypoalgesia - Diminished pain in response to a normally painful
stimulus - increased response: stimulus and response mode are the same; raised threshold: stimulus
and response mode are the same lowered response. Note: Hypoalgesia was formerly defined as
diminished sensitivity to noxious stimulation, making it a particular case of hypoesthesia (q.v.).
However, it now refers only to the occurrence of relatively less pain in response to stimulation
that produces pain. Hypoesthesia covers the case of diminished sensitivity to stimulation that is
normally painful. |
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Hypoesthesia - Decreased sensitivity to stimulation, excluding the
special senses. |
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Hypo-reflexive - |
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I |
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J |
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K |
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L |
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Laminectomy - |
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Lipoma - |
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Lipomyelomeningocele - |
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Lumbar Region - (L1 TO L5 ) Four of the five pairs of lumbar spinal nerves
(L1 TO L4 ) form the lumbar plexus, which supplies the lower back as well as parts of the
thighs and legs. L4 and L5 also interconnect with the first four sacral nerves (S1 TO S4 ). |
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Meningomyelocele - Myelomeningocele - or
Spina Bifida Aperta - easily recognized at birth by the open sac seen on the back. |
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MRI - Magnetic Resonance Imaging - |
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MS - Multiple Sclerosis - |
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Myelodysplasia - The general term used to define lesions of the
spinal cord and canal that are congenital from birth. An often used synonym is Spina Bifida. |
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Myelogram - |
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Myelomeningocele - Meningomyelocele
- or Spina Bifida Aperta - easily recognized at birth by the
open sac seen on the back. |
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Neuralgia - Pain in the distribution of a nerve or nerves. Note:
Common usage, especially in Europe, often implies a paroxysmal quality, but neuralgia should not
be reserved for paroxysma pains. |
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Neuritis - Inflammation of a nerve or nerves. Note: Not to be
used unless inflammation is thought to be present. |
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Neurogenic pain - Pain initiated or caused by a primary lesion,
dysfunction, or transitory perturbation in the peripheral or central nervous system. |
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Neuropathic pain - Pain initiated or caused by a primary lesion
or dysfunction in the nervous system. Note: See also Neurogenic Pain and Central Pain. Peripheral
neuropathic pain occurs when the lesion or dysfunction affects the peripheral nervous system.
Central pain may be retained as the term when the lesion or dysfunction affects the central
nervous system. |
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Neuropathy - A disturbance of function or pathological change in a
nerve: in one nerve, mononeuropathy; in several nerves, mononeuropathy multiplex; if diffuse and
bilateral, polyneuropathy. Note: Neuritis (q.v.) is a special case of neuropathy and is now
reserved for inflammatory processes affecting nerves. Neuropathy is not intended to cover cases
like neurapraxia, neurotmesis, section of a nerve, or transitory impact like a blow, stretching,
or an epileptic discharge. The term neurogenic applies to pain due to such temporary perturbations.
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Nociceptor - A receptor preferentially sensitive to a noxious
stimulus or to a stimulus which would become noxious if prolonged. Note: Avoid use of terms like
pain receptor, pain pathway, etc. |
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Noxious stimulus - A noxious stimulus is one which is damaging
to normal tissues. Note: Although the definition of a noxious stimulus has been retained, the
term is not used in this list to define other terms. |
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Occult Spinal Dysraphism - OSD - including the
syndrome of tethered spinal cord, includes a lengthy list of malformations of the spinal cord
found at birth that are seen with closed skin covering the spine. OSD by definition results in
neurological damage, thereby differentiating it from spina bifida occulta. |
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Pain threshold - The least experience of pain which a subject can
recognize. Note: Traditionally the threshold has often been defined, as we defined it formerly,
as the least stimulus intensity at which a subject perceives pain. Properly defined, the threshold
is really the experience of the patient, whereas the intensity measured is an external event. It
has been common usage for most pain research workers to define the threshold in terms of the
stimulus, and that should be avoided. However, the threshold stimulus can be recognized as such
and measured. In psychophysics, thresholds are defined as the level at which 50% of stimuli are
recognized. In that case, the pain threshold would be the level at which 50% of stimuli would be
recognized as painful. The stimulus is not pain (q.v.) and cannot be a measure of pain. |
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Pain tolerance level - The greatest level of pain which a subject
is prepared to tolerate. Note: As with pain threshold, the pain tolerance level is the subjective
experience of the individual. The stimuli which are normally measured in relation to its production
are the pain tolerance level stimuli and not the level itself. Thus, the same argument applies to
pain tolerance level as to pain threshold, and it is not defined in terms of the external
stimulation as such. |
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Paresis - the slight or partial paralysis. |
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Paralegia - Paralysis of the lower half of the body with involvement
of both legs, usually due to disease or injury to the spinal cord. |
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Paralysis - the complete or partial loss of function,
especially when involving the power of motion OR of sensation in any part of the body. |
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Paraparesis - partial paralysis of the lower limbs. |
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Parethesia - An abnormal sensation, whether spontaneous or evoked -
The sensation of pricking, tinkling or creeping on the skin having no objective cause and usually
associated with injury or irritation of a sensory nerve or nerve root. Note: Compare with
dysesthesia. After much discussion, it has been agreed to recommend that paresthesia be used to
describe an abnormal sensation that is not unpleasant while dysesthesia be used preferentially
for an abnormal sensation that is considered to be unpleasant. The use of one term (paresthesia)
to indicate spontaneous sensations and the other to refer to evoked sensations is not favored.
There is a sense in which, since paresthesia refers to abnormal sensations in general, it might
include dysesthesia, but the reverse is not true. Dysesthesia does not include all abnormal
sensations, but only those which are unpleasant. |
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Peripheral neurogenic pain - Pain initiated or caused by a primary
lesion or dysfunction or transitory perturbation in the peripheral nervous system. |
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Peripheral neuropathic pain - Pain initiated or caused by a primary
lesion or dysfunction in the peripheral nervous system. |
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Pes Cavus - Cavus deformity of the foot (very elevated arch) due
to fixed plantar flexion of the forefoot; associated with neurological impairment; associated
deformities with claw or hammer toes. |
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R |
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RSD - Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) or RSDS
- Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome - this is the "old" name for
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) - a complex form of neuropathic pain
associated with hyperpathia; neurovascular instability, neuroinflammation, and limbic system
dysfunction.There is often swelling, skin rashes/blistering, stiffness of joints, uncomfortable
temperature changes of the affected area, extreme sensitivity whereby even slight touch means
unbearable added pain, nausea, vomiting, lack of sleep, inability to concentrate or remember
and a sense of confusion. This is on top of the intense pain. |
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Sacral Region - (S1 TO S5 ) Two nerve networks, the sacral plexus
(L5 TO S3) and the coccygeal plexus (S4, S5, and the coccygeal nerve, Co1 innervate the thighs,
the buttocks, the muscles and skin of the legs and feet, and the anal and genital area. |
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SB - Spina Bifida - Lesions of the spinal cord and
canal that are congenital from birth. |
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Spina Bifida Aperta - Myelomeningocele - or
Meningomyelocele - Easily recognized at birth by the open sac seen on the back. |
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SBO - Spina Bifida Occulta - Refers to closed spina
bifida covered with skin) and includes those lesions of the bones of the spine where the spinal
canal is open because of failure of the spine bones to close during development in the uterus.
This type of spina bifida is generally discovered incidentally and may have no clinical
significance. |
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SEP test - |
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Spina Bifida - SB - Lesions of the spinal cord and
canal that are congenital from birth. |
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Spina Bifida Occulta - SBO - Refers to closed spina
bifida covered with skin) and includes those lesions of the bones of the spine where the spinal
canal is open because of failure of the spine bones to close during development in the uterus.
This type of spina bifida is generally discovered incidentally and may have no clinical
significance. |
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Syrinx - |
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Thoracic Region - (T1 TO T12) Apart from T1, which is considered
part of the brachial plexus, thoracic spinal nerves are directly connected with muscles lying
between the ribs, and regions of the front of the abdomen. |
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U |
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Urodynamics - |
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W |
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