Challenges and Responses to Body Integrity: Understanding Pathophysiology and Pain Management

Running head: CHALLENGES AND RESPONSE TO BODY INTEGRITY 1
Challenges and Response to Body Integrity
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CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES TO BODY INTEGRITY 2
Challenges and Responses to Body Integrity
Introduction
Müller (2009), identifies “body integrity identity disorder” as an extremely rare
phenomenon of individuals who desire either paralysis or amputation of healthy limbs. This
could be done through self-mutilation or by asking surgeons to transect the spinal cord. This
essay analyzes a case study involving Mr David, a 71-year-old man, who has a lower back pain
which is associated with metastatic lesions in his thoracic and lumbar vertebrae as shown by
MRI scan.
Pathophysiology of David’s lower back pain
According to the MRI scan done on Mr David, the cause of the lower back pain can be
attributed to the connection between pathology and some physiological body functions. The
lumber spine offers support to the head and internal organs when one stands upright (Park, Lee
& Chung, 2016). The annular fibres may tear at the circumference or at the radius in case of
eccentric and torsional loading which is repeated. This may cause lower back pain as the tear
result in separation of endplates hence resulting in Mr David’s case. Another case is the
movement of nuclear material out of the annular container into the epidural space. This causes
nerve roots to compress and irritate, resulting in joint pain (Bernstein, Malik, Carville & Ward,
2017). As one advance in age, the disc height decreases and biomechanical axis of loading shifts,
resulting in more weight being exerted on the facet joints, a situation which can only be
corrected by bone growth.
The effectiveness of NSAIDs for Pain Management in Adults
Pain complaints like low back pain and osteoarthritis are common in old aged individuals
(Mohanty et al. 2016). NSAIDs are considered the best alternative for use because of their