Pathophysiology of pain: implications for perioperative nursing.

The pathophysiology of pain is a complex process that varies according to duration (eg, acute, chronic) or type (eg, nociceptive, neuropathic, psychogenic). Perioperative nurses should understand the pathways that lead to pain to better assist in managing patients' pain symptoms. Approaching pain from a patient-centered stance includes acknowledging that pain is defined entirely by the subjective experience of the patient, which may not be proportional with the level of tissue damage. This article provides a brief description of the pathophysiology of pain and the components of nociceptive and neuropathic pain pathways to aid the perioperative nurse in pain management.