A 60-year-old patient who has diabetes had a below-knee amputation 1 week ago. The patient asks "why does it still feel like my leg is attached, and why does it still hurt?"
The nurse explains neuropathic pain in terms that are accessible to the patient. The nurse should describe what pathophysiologic process?
A) The proliferation of nociceptors during times of stress
B) Age-related deterioration of the central nervous system
C) Psychosocial dependence on pain medications
D) The abnormal reorganization of the nervous system
Ans: D
Feedback:
At any point from the periphery to the CNS, the potential exists for the development of neuropathic pain. Hyperexcitable nerve endings in the periphery can become damaged, leading to abnormal reorganization of the nervous system called neuroplasticity, an underlying mechanism of some neuropathic pain states. Neuropathic pain is not a result of age-related changes, nociceptor proliferation, or dependence on medications.
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