A nurse is assessing the pain of a client who has been diagnosed with a sprained ankle. The client describes the pain as aching and is able to identify the pain as occurring in the left ankle. The nurse identifies this as which type of pain?

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Somatic pain originates in bone, skin, and soft tissue and is often well localized. Clients will describe somatic pain as aching or throbbing; when asked if they can point to the location of their pain, they are often able to specifically pinpoint where it hurts. Examples of somatic pain include soft tissue injury such as a contusion from a sprained ankle. Visceral pain originates internally and is the result of stretching, distention, inflammation, or damage to the hollow and solid organs. Clients tend to describe visceral pain as aching, throbbing, cramping, pressure, deep, or radiating. This type of pain is often diffuse and difficult for clients to pinpoint. Neuropathic pain arises from damage to the peripheral nerves or the CNS and, unlike nociceptive pain, is the result of abnormal sensory input. Clients describe neuropathic pain as tingling, itching, burning, cold, prickly, or "shocklike." Unlike acute pain, which follows the normal nociceptive pain process, persistent (chronic) pain serves no useful purpose. Healthcare providers are using the term persistent pain in place of chronic pain to help avoid the negative and often inaccurate assumptions associated with chronic pain clients. Persistent pain is an abnormal pain-signaling process with origins that can occur both peripherally and centrally. Persistent pain is cyclical and irreversible and generally persists longer than 3 to 6 months.

A Nurse Is Assessing the Pain of a Client Who