visceral pain

(noun)

Visceral pain is diffuse, difficult to locate, and often referred to a distant, usually superficial, structure. It may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting and may be described as sickening, deep, squeezing, and dull.

Related Terms

Examples of visceral pain in the following topics:

  • Localization of Pain

    • Localization of pain is determined by whether the pain is superficial somatic, visceral, or deep somatic.
    • Nociceptive pain may also be divided into visceral, deep somatic, and superficial somatic pain.
    • Visceral structures are highly sensitive to stretch, ischemia, and inflammation, but relatively insensitive to other stimuli that normally evoke pain in other structures, such as burning and cutting.
    • Visceral pain is diffuse, difficult to locate, and often referred to a distant, usually superficial, structure.
    • Referred pain (also reflective pain) is pain perceived at a location other than the site of the painful stimulus.

  • Pain Sensation

    • Pain comes in two phases.
    • The pain associated with the Aδ fibers can be associated to an initial extremely sharp pain.
    • Nociceptive pain can be divided into visceral, deep somatic and superficial somatic pain.
    • Visceral structures are highly sensitive to stretch, ischemia, and inflammation, but relatively insensitive to other stimuli that normally evoke pain in other structures, such as burning and cutting.
    • Visceral pain is diffuse, difficult to locate, and often referred to a distant, usually superficial, structure.

  • Autonomic Reflexes

    • In these cases, the body will interpret the afferent pain stimulus as somatic.
    • General visceral afferent sensations are mostly unconscious visceral motor reflex sensations from hollow organs and glands that are transmitted to the CNS (see for a depiction of a typical nerve fiber, including general visceral afferent fibers).
    • While the unconscious reflex arcs are normally undetectable, in certain instances, they may send pain sensations to the CNS masked as referred pain.
    • This pain is usually non-localized.
    • The pain is also usually referred to dermatomes that are at the same spinal nerve level as the visceral afferent synapse.

  • Vagus (X) Nerve

    • The vagus nerve (cranial nerve X) is responsible for parasympathetic output to the heart and visceral organs.
    • The solitary nucleus: Receives afferent taste information and primary afferents from visceral organs.
    • The spinal trigeminal nucleus: Receives information about deep/crude touch, pain, and temperature of the outer ear, the dura of the posterior cranial fossa, and the mucosa of the larynx.
    • This occurs commonly in cases of viral gastroenteritis , acute cholecystitis, or in response to stimuli such as the Valsalva maneuver or pain.

  • Intercostal Nerves

    • Unlike the nerves from the autonomic nervous system that innervate the visceral pleura of the thoracic cavity, the intercostal nerves arise from the somatic nervous system.
    • This explains why damage to the internal wall of the thoracic cavity can be felt as a sharp pain localized in the injured region.
    • Damage to the visceral pleura is experienced as an unlocalized ache.

  • Leishmaniasis

    • Leishmaniasis is caused by the protozoan parasite Leishmania and presents itself in two forms: cutaneous or visceral leishmaniasis.
    • There various types of leishmaniasis that exist including cutaneous leishmaniasis, systemic, or visceral leishmaniasis.
    • Systemic or visceral leishmaniasis present as an infection of the entire body.
    • In adults, there is fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, night sweats, fever, weight loss, and changes in the color and texture of the skin.
    • In combination, cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis are caused by more than 20 different leishmanial species.

  • Pons

    • The alar plate produces sensory neuroblasts, which will give rise to the solitary nucleus and its special visceral afferent column, the cochlear and vestibular nuclei (which form the special somatic afferent fibers of the vestibulocochlear nerve), the spinal and principal trigeminal nerve nuclei (which form the general somatic afferent column of the trigeminal nerve), and the pontine nuclei, which is involved in motor activity.
    • Basal plate neuroblasts give rise to the abducens nucleus (forms the general somatic efferent fibers), the facial and motor trigeminal nuclei (form the special visceral efferent column), and the superior salivatory nucleus, which forms the general visceral efferent fibers of the facial nerve.
    • The functions of the four nerves of the pons include sensory roles in hearing, equilibrium, taste, and facial sensations such as touch and pain.

  • The Mechanics of Human Breathing

    • The layer of tissue that covers the lung and dips into spaces is called the visceral pleura.
    • If these layers of tissues become inflamed, this is categorized as pleurisy: a painful inflammation that increases the pressure within the thoracic cavity, reducing the volume of the lung.

  • Glossopharyngeal (IX) Nerve

    • It receives visceral sensory fibers from the carotid bodies, carotid sinus.
    • Visceral motor (general visceral efferent): Provides parasympathetic innervation of the parotid gland.
    • Visceral sensory (general visceral afferent): Carries visceral sensory information from the carotid sinus and body.

  • Branches of Spinal Nerves

    • The dorsal ramus: Contains nerves that serve the dorsal portions of the trunk carrying visceral motor, somatic motor, and sensory information to and from the skin and muscles of the back.
    • The ventral ramus: Contains nerves that serve the remaining ventral parts of the trunk and the upper and lower limbs carrying visceral motor, somatic motor, and sensory information to and from the ventrolateral body surface, structures in the body wall, and the limbs.
    • The rami communicantes: Contain autonomic nerves that carry visceral motor and sensory information to and from the visceral organs.