Pain Management Quiz: How Much Do You Really Know?

At one time or another, every one of us suffers from some sort of pain. But very few of us take the time to learn about the causes of our pain and the many different pain relief drugs and techniques to make it go away.

The following quiz is intended to test and improve your knowledge of pain and pain management (answers below). Good luck and good learning!

1. Pain is frequently categorized as being either acute or chronic. One of the key differences between acute pain and chronic pain is that:

    

   1. Acute pain is always more severe than chronic pain.
   2. Chronic pain typically has a longer duration than acute pain.
   3. Chronic pain usually responds better to pain management techniques than acute pain.
   4. Acute pain develops gradually over time, whereas chronic pain appears suddenly.
2. Another difference between acute pain and chronic pain is that the underlying cause of acute pain is often more easily identified than the cause of chronic pain. Which of the following is not a common cause of acute pain?

    

   1. Surgery or other invasive medical procedures.
   2. Broken bones or other trauma.
   3. Arthritis.
   4. Severe cuts or burns.
3. Since the cause of chronic pain may sometimes be difficult to identify, pain management specialists often focus on relieving their patients’ symptoms, rather than on fixing an underlying problem. Which of the following is generally not thought of as a common pain management technique?

    

   1. Physical therapy.
   2. Pain relief medication.
   3. Surgery.
   4. Activity changes.
4. Health professionals who deal with pain management encompass a wide range of disciplines. All of the following professions deal frequently with pain management, except:

    

   1. Physiatrists.
   2. Physical therapists.
   3. Psychiatrists.
   4. Neurologists.
   5. All of the above professions are concerned with pain management.
5. There are a variety of physical therapy or non-drug treatments that can be used as pain management techniques, including massage, hot and cold therapy, and TENS. TENS is an acronym for the pain management technique known as:

    

   1. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation.
   2. Total Energy Neural Saturation.
   3. Targeted and Elevated Nebulization Sensing.
   4. Triple Enzyme Neuro Statins.
6. Pain management specialists often recommend analgesics for pain relief. Analgesics are:

    

   1. Pain relief medications such as acetaminophen, NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) or narcotics.
   2. Holistic pain management treatments including acupuncture, acupressure, biofeedback and others.
   3. Physical therapy to reduce pain, including exercise, hot/cold therapy and massage.
   4. All of the above are analgesics.
7. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are non-narcotic drugs used to treat pain and inflammation. The two most common NSAIDs prescribed by pain management professionals are:

    

   1. Acetaminophen and aspirin.
   2. Ibuprofen and aspirin.
   3. Ibuprofen and acetaminophen.
   4. Aspirin and Tylenol.
8. A small percentage of patients develop a physical dependency on or addiction to pain relief medicine, especially when they fail to follow their physicians’ instructions. Which of the following type of pain management drug is least likely to result in addiction?

    

   1. Narcotics.
   2. Muscle relaxants.
   3. Barbiturates.
   4. NSAIDs.
9. Psychogenic pain is pain that has a psychological or emotional cause, even though it is reported as physical pain by the patient. Which of the following pain management specialists is most qualified to treat psychogenic pain?

    

   1. Physiatrist.
   2. Psychiatrist.
   3. Anesthesiologist.
   4. Oncologist.
10. Pain management professionals sometimes recommend injection therapy for patients who suffer from chronic back or spinal pain. Which of the following is not a common injection therapy for back pain relief?

     

    1. Epidural injection.
    2. Sacroiliac joint injection.
    3. Opioidal injection.
    4. Nerve root block.
11. When dealing with chronic back pain, many health professionals recommend surgery only after non-surgical pain management treatments have proven inadequate. Which of the following statements about back surgery is untrue?

     

    1. Patients considering back surgery as a pain relief measure must carefully weigh the risks and potential benefits of the procedure.
    2. Back surgery nearly always has a more positive outcome for the patient than non-surgical pain management treatments.
    3. Spinal fusion is a common surgical procedure designed to treat degenerative disc disease and other spinal conditions.
    4. Back surgery is more likely to be recommended in cases where there are symptoms of a pinched or damaged nerve.

To learn more about pain management and to better understand the various pain management options available, browse our library of related pain relief articles on eDrugstore.md.

Answers:    1)B    2)C    3)C    4)E    5)A    6)A    7)B    8)D    9)B    10)C    11)B