A Patient Recovering from a Broken Leg Asks Why the Pain

question 23

Multiple Choice

A patient recovering from a broken leg asks why the pain is so sharp. What should the nurse explain about acute pain?

• A) The pain signal releases catecholamines.
• B) The pain signal reduces blood flow to the gut.
• C) The pain signal travels along nerve fibers to the spinal cord.
• D) The pain signal travels up to the brain portion called the thalamus.
• E) The pain signal spreads throughout the cortex, limbic system, and brainstem.

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Definitions:

Size Constancy

The perceptual stability of the size of objects in view, despite variations in the size of the image on the retina due to changes in viewing distance.

Apparent Movement

The perception that a stationary object is moving.

Gestalt Psychologists

Psychologists who focus on human perception and cognitive processes, emphasizing that the whole of anything is greater than its parts.

Visual Processes

The mechanisms by which the brain interprets and understands visual information from the environment.