NUR 120 Pain Questions and Answers
2026
A patient recovering from a stroke complains of pain. The nurse suspects this
patient is most likely experiencing which type of pain?
Nociceptive
Neuropathic
Somatic
Idiopathic - Correct answer-Neuropathic
Neuropathic pain can occur from central nervous system brain injury caused by a
stroke. Nociceptive pain is caused by tissue damage. Somatic pain is another term
used for nociceptive pain. Idiopathic pain does not have an identified cause.
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,A patient is reporting pain and rates it as 7 on a scale of 1 to 10. When the nurse
asks him to decribe the pain, he states, "It feels like a knife is stabbing or cutting
me." The nurse knows that this type of pain is conducted by which fibers?
C fibers
A-delta fibers
AC fibers
P fibers - Correct answer-A-delta fibers
A-delta fibers are myelinated and conduct impulses rapidly, resulting in pain being
described as sharp or stabbing. C fibers are unmyelinated and cause pain that is
achy and ongoing. There are no known AC or P fibers related to pain.
When patients report pain, it is important to find the source. When patients
describe pain as "burning, painful numbness, or tingling," the source is more than
likely:
Visceral
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,Neuropathic
Somatic
Referred - Correct answer-Neuropathic
Visceral pain originates from abdominal organs and is often described as crampy or
gnawing. Somatic pain originates from the skin, muscles, bones, and joints.
Referred pain originates from a specific site, but the patient experiencing the pain
feels it at another site along the innervating spinal nerve. Neuropathic pain is
described as burning, painful numbness, or tingling.
A nurse is administering prescribed medicine to a client who experienced acute
pain in the lower back after a motor vehicle accident. The client tells the nurse that
compared to the previous week, his pain had reduced considerably. Which phase of
pain is the client experiencing?
Transduction
Transmission
Perception
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, Modulation - Correct answer-Modulation
The client is in the modulation phase of pain, during which the brain interacts with
the spinal nerves in a downward fashion to subsequently alter the pain experience.
The client is not in the transduction, transmission, or perception phase of pain.
Transduction phase refers to the conversion of chemical information at the cellular
level into electrical impulses that move toward the spinal cord. In transmission
phase, the stimuli move from the peripheral nervous system toward the brain, and
the perception phase occurs when the pain threshold is reached.
A nurse is caring for an athlete who was injured during a practice session. There is
visible skin impairment, and the client complains of throbbing pain in the leg.
What level of pain does the nurse document for this client?
Epidermis level
Dermis level
Subcutaneous level
Muscle level - Correct answer-Subcutaneous level
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2026
A patient recovering from a stroke complains of pain. The nurse suspects this
patient is most likely experiencing which type of pain?
Nociceptive
Neuropathic
Somatic
Idiopathic - Correct answer-Neuropathic
Neuropathic pain can occur from central nervous system brain injury caused by a
stroke. Nociceptive pain is caused by tissue damage. Somatic pain is another term
used for nociceptive pain. Idiopathic pain does not have an identified cause.
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,A patient is reporting pain and rates it as 7 on a scale of 1 to 10. When the nurse
asks him to decribe the pain, he states, "It feels like a knife is stabbing or cutting
me." The nurse knows that this type of pain is conducted by which fibers?
C fibers
A-delta fibers
AC fibers
P fibers - Correct answer-A-delta fibers
A-delta fibers are myelinated and conduct impulses rapidly, resulting in pain being
described as sharp or stabbing. C fibers are unmyelinated and cause pain that is
achy and ongoing. There are no known AC or P fibers related to pain.
When patients report pain, it is important to find the source. When patients
describe pain as "burning, painful numbness, or tingling," the source is more than
likely:
Visceral
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,Neuropathic
Somatic
Referred - Correct answer-Neuropathic
Visceral pain originates from abdominal organs and is often described as crampy or
gnawing. Somatic pain originates from the skin, muscles, bones, and joints.
Referred pain originates from a specific site, but the patient experiencing the pain
feels it at another site along the innervating spinal nerve. Neuropathic pain is
described as burning, painful numbness, or tingling.
A nurse is administering prescribed medicine to a client who experienced acute
pain in the lower back after a motor vehicle accident. The client tells the nurse that
compared to the previous week, his pain had reduced considerably. Which phase of
pain is the client experiencing?
Transduction
Transmission
Perception
©COPYRIGHT 2025, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
, Modulation - Correct answer-Modulation
The client is in the modulation phase of pain, during which the brain interacts with
the spinal nerves in a downward fashion to subsequently alter the pain experience.
The client is not in the transduction, transmission, or perception phase of pain.
Transduction phase refers to the conversion of chemical information at the cellular
level into electrical impulses that move toward the spinal cord. In transmission
phase, the stimuli move from the peripheral nervous system toward the brain, and
the perception phase occurs when the pain threshold is reached.
A nurse is caring for an athlete who was injured during a practice session. There is
visible skin impairment, and the client complains of throbbing pain in the leg.
What level of pain does the nurse document for this client?
Epidermis level
Dermis level
Subcutaneous level
Muscle level - Correct answer-Subcutaneous level
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