Pain in pressure ulcers is described as:

Pain in pressure ulcers is described as:

• A. Painful unless sensory function is impaired.
• B. Pain is always present regardless of sensation.
• C. Pain occurs only with infection.
• D. Pain is unrelated to sensory function.

Answer: (A)

Pain from a pressure ulcer depends on whether the nerves can perceive sensation. When sensation is intact, tissue damage and inflammation from the ulcer activate pain receptors, so the area is typically painful. If sensory function is impaired—for example, due to neuropathy or nerve injury—the person may not feel the pain as strongly, or at all, even if the ulcer is present. That’s why this description—painful unless sensory function is impaired—best fits how pain works with pressure ulcers. Pain is not obligately present only with infection, and it is not unrelated to sensation. It can occur without infection, and its presence or absence often mirrors the patient’s sensory status.

Pain from a pressure ulcer depends on whether the nerves can perceive sensation. When sensation is intact, tissue damage and inflammation from the ulcer activate pain receptors, so the area is typically painful. If sensory function is impaired—for example, due to neuropathy or nerve injury—the person may not feel the pain as strongly, or at all, even if the ulcer is present. That’s why this description—painful unless sensory function is impaired—best fits how pain works with pressure ulcers.

Pain is not obligately present only with infection, and it is not unrelated to sensation. It can occur without infection, and its presence or absence often mirrors the patient’s sensory status.