Ms. J. is a 30-year-old healthy single mother with two children. She has worked

Question

Ms. J. is a 30-year-old healthy single mother with two children. She has worked as a paramedic in her community for 6 years. She and her partner responded to a call involving a man who had been drinking heavily at a family party and who was partially conscious. When she and her partner attempted to transfer the 100-kg man to a stretcher, the man grabbed her neck, causing her severe pain. Ms. J.’s doctor diagnosed a spinal injury and completed papers for Ms. J. to be absent from work. He recommended rest and application of heat and cold to the neck. One week later, Ms. J. saw him again, reporting continuing pain. She was referred to a specialist who told her she had a herniated disk in the cervical area of her neck and would require ongoing care and rehabilitation. Ms. J. has been on disability leave for 6 months, during which she has continued to have severe neck, jaw, and back pain. She takes acetaminophen with codeine as required, and sees a physiotherapist and a registered massage therapist routinely in an attempt to control chronic pain. She is worried that her disability benefits will cease before she can return to work and has incurred debts during her leave. She also finds it difficult to care for her two children and keep the house clean.

What factors are significant in Ms. J.’s perception of pain? How might each be reduced?
Why has Ms. J.’s doctor not prescribed stronger narcotic medication?
Why does Ms. J. experience pain in her jaw and lower back when the injury was to her neck?
Where in the pain pathway do massage therapy and physiotherapy act to alleviate pain?
Ms. J. is concerned about maintaining her physical fitness and decides to attend exercise classes in her community pool. She finds this gives her more energy and reduces her pain. How does appropriate exercise affect pain perception? What precautions does Ms. J. need to observe when exercising?
Ms. J. hears about acupuncture as a help for back pain and does some research on the Internet before making an appointment for treatment. How could acupuncture act to block impulses for pain?
After 8 months, Ms. J. is cleared to return to work on a part-time basis, which she manages well. Why does she not return to full-time work immediately?
What can Ms. J. expect in the future as a result of this injury?

Explanation / Answer

1)The factors effecting perception of pain depends upon the age , gender , pain threshold and background, emotional . in this case she is 30yrs old and single mother with burden of 2 children on here, as she is 30yrs old the perception of pain will be less, and she is a female so she can bear the pain conpare to male and she will have more pain and have a lower pain threshold and tolerances to pain stimuli. 2)The drugs are prescribed depending on the intensity of the damaged disc and pain here the pain is radiated to the jaw and lower back here patient has complainns of continous pain but not severe pain. 3)Ms.j is suffering pain in the jaw and lower back because the cervical spine where herniation occurs at c2 and c3 discs and the nerve roots adjacent to these discs are impacted the jaws and heads ot the facial parts will experiences sharp pain. 4) Physiotherapist perform soft tissue mobilization to the suboccipital muscles to relaxing them and also to the neck area by this massage and physiotherapist the patient will get pain reduced. 5) under the advise of the doctor the patient undergoes the exercise by the exercise the muscles get relaxed so the patient gets more energy and reduce her pain. 6)Acupuncture and massage may relieve pain associated with herinated disc, this asserts the pain signals travel slowly from the area of injury to th spinalcord into the brain because the nerve can only handle limited number of signals but acupunture generate faster signals to crowd out slow moving signals thus blockout the pain. 7) the patient has returned to work as part time job because she is paramedical which may increase the healed trauma if she goes for full time so slowly increases the time of work she will slowly adjest with the job and if she is not precaused and didnot consider the precaution of the doctor or careless it may increase the pain.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse M
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.