Acute, dull, sudden, chronic, aching, throbbing, blinding … This is not a complete list of epithets that we, without hesitation, use when talking about the feeling that we all experienced and continue to experience: about pain.
We know how the signaling system works through neurons to the brain and back, but many questions still remain unanswered.
All our knowledge of pain is built on paradoxes.
1. Our brain records pain signals, but does not feel it itself
The brain records and processes pain signals from all other parts of the body, but does not feel pain itself.
Let's say you twist your ankle or burn your finger. The nerve fibers immediately send a signal to your brain that decodes the sensation as pain.
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No wonder modern surgery became possible only after the discovery of anesthesia. However, if the brain itself is the object of the operation, then it does not need anesthetic. Nerve cells in the brain send themselves the same signals as with a broken limb, only there is no data center for them. The brain, accustomed to being responsible for the entire body, does not understand at all when it should be painful for itself.
There is something eerie about this, but patients are often fully conscious during brain surgery, which allows surgeons to know if they are getting too deep into the main processor of our body.
2. We all feel pain in different ways
Pain is subjective: for some it is agony, but for some it is a slight inconvenience.
The fact that, after, say, natural childbirth, one woman says that it was a little uncomfortable, but that's okay, and the other already requires anesthesia at the very beginning of the contractions, does not mean that one of them is stoic, and the other is weak.
How we feel pain is influenced by many factors: what chemical reactions are taking place at this time in your brain, whether there is an inflammatory process somewhere in your body, and also how much you "remember" the pain that you experienced before.
As the head of the New York Center for Spinal Surgery, Kenneth Hansraj, once said: “Someone can drill the tibia without anesthesia, but he will calmly tell you, they say, buddy, get this thing out! And the other cannot even bear the touch of a thin needle to the skin."
3. Pain can be distracted
The pain can be fooled: if you start shaking your bruised finger, it becomes easier.
Our brains are, of course, the most complex computer ever created by nature, but at the same time it is a little dumb.
The fact is that it is difficult for him to simultaneously analyze several sensations. Let's say you were bitten by a mosquito and the bite is desperately itching. Attach an ice cube to it, and suddenly you will realize that you still feel the cold, but the itching is gone. This is why we instinctively rub a bruised spot or shake desperately with a finger that we accidentally pinch in the door.
4. Redheads do worse
Redheads have a hard time: fiery hair color is accompanied by a non-standard attitude towards painkillers.
It's hard to believe, but in 2009, an article appeared in the journal of the American Dental Association, according to which redheads really do not like to visit dentists.
The fact is that the same genetic combination that rewards them with fiery hair color makes them less susceptible to certain pain relievers. And sometimes they need a dose that is twice what would be enough for some brunette. It is also possible that their body responds to anesthesia in a not entirely trivial way. Some doctors, by the way, make adjustments for the patient's hair color.
5. Sex saves from pain
Having sex can reduce migraine pain … if you have the energy to do it, of course.
Well, objectively speaking, if you have a migraine attack, then sex in such a situation seems to be somewhat questionable. However, there are some statistics according to which 60% of migraine sufferers felt much better if they did it during the attack.
Sexual arousal releases endorphins in the brain, which are natural pain relievers. By the way, with migraine patients, everything is not so simple. It is suspected that the same gene variation that rewards migraine sufferers at the same time significantly increases their libido.
6. We were mercilessly divided into women and men
We all feel the same, only men believe that we must endure.
There is actually no scientific evidence that men and women feel pain differently. Although doctors note that in general, women are more likely to admit that they are in pain. Perhaps this is due to a social stereotype that requires "real" men to endure by clenching their teeth.
7. Those who do not feel pain
For those who do not feel pain, it is not so good: a simple touch of a hot stove can result in a third-degree burn.
This is a very rare genetic abnormality. So rare that in the entire history of medicine, it has been met only a few dozen times. Those who are unlucky enough to be born with it may, for example, sense whether an object is hot or cold, but do not feel pain. And this, by the way, is really bad. For example, accidentally touching a hot stove could result in a third-degree burn, rather than a small blister that would occur if they quickly realized what was happening and pulled their hand away.
According to the available statistics (which, for obvious reasons, are extremely small), the average life expectancy of such insensitives is significantly lower than the average.
8. The most common pain
The most common pain in developed countries is pain in the lower back.
This is back pain. Approximately 27% of people in developed countries claim to suffer from lower back pain. Whereas from constant headaches or migraines - only 15%. Experts advise against exercising and gaining weight. However, this is a consequence of our evolutionary success. Bipedality is not at all conducive to spinal health. Quadrupeds, in which the weight is distributed much more evenly, do not suffer from back pain.
9. What hurt kings and dinosaurs
Both kings and dinosaurs suffered from gout. Here, however, is a dragon, but probably he is a close relative of the tyrannosaurus.
Gout, also known as arthritis, used to be called the disease of kings, because it was allegedly the result of excessive consumption of fatty foods and alcohol. It is clear that in the distant Middle Ages only very wealthy people could afford it. We now know that gout pain arises from the formation of sharp uric acid crystals inside the joints.
Examination of the skeleton of the upper limb of a female Tyrannosaurus (which paleontologists named Sue) showed that this particular Jurassic predator also suffered from gout, and in a very neglected form. It is likely that throughout the last years of her life, Sue suffered from chronic pain.
10. The nature of pain is not at all unambiguous
Sometimes pain turns from a symptom to a disease. It hurts everywhere, and why is not clear.
Pain is a symptom, which, however, gives only a general idea that something is wrong, but does not give any specificity. And in patients suffering from central pain syndrome, the pain itself becomes a disease, and not its symptom.
Such patients complain of pain throughout the body, and the sensations range from "needles" to "strong pressure". In this case, the brain is not just a registrar and processor of pain sensations, but also their main generator.
11. Don't underestimate your brain
Don't underestimate your brain: it knows perfectly well which buttons and under what circumstances it should be pressed.
The brain is designed in such a way that it constantly evaluates the signals coming into it, deciding how serious the danger is and whether immediate action should be taken. Having received an alarming signal, the brain immediately tries to answer the main question: "How dangerous is this all?"
In assessing the situation, our central processor uses all the information available to it: from subjective, coming from our past experience, to objective, obtained from the whole complex of physical and chemical parameters of the organism.
The brain commands the neurons as it wants, and so they have to obey
And having received the signal, he sends "instructions" to the nerve endings on how to behave. Canadian physician Paul Ingram described the process in the following imaginary dialogue:
Nerves: Problem! Problem! Huge! Big! Red alarm! Switch on immediately!
Brain: Mmmmm, huh? Okay, I took note. But here's the thing, guys, I have a database here, sorry, it's strictly secret, so take my word for it: it's not all that scary. Relax.
Nerves: No, no, listen, this is all very serious!
Brain: Nope, I don’t believe it.
Nerves: Look, maybe we, of course, do not have access to this "information" that you constantly talk about, but we know very well what tissue damage is! And we are not playing with toys here. We won't shut up until you take action!
Brain (in the voice of a hypnotist): You no longer remember what the matter was. There is absolutely no need to send me signals. Everything is absolutely fine, breathe deeper …
Nerves: Oh, yes … What are we talking about? Damn, it seems like they just wanted to report on something important … Well, okay, we'll be back later.
12. The most important boss
The brain itself decides how to regulate the pain button in our body, and why sometimes it stops at six, and sometimes at ten, we still do not fully know.
The brain can actually rotate the peripheral nerve endings as it pleases. If he doesn't like something, he may ask for more information. Or he can order his subordinates not to fuss. In recent years, a lot of information has emerged that the nerves at the periphery can actually change, both physically and chemically, possibly following a command from the brain.
As noted by the same Paul Ingram: "The brain can not only turn the button that controls the sound, but easily change all the equipment, changing the signal itself long before it enters the speakers."
Output
The ultimate nature of pain, despite the fact that it is an integral part of the existence of all living things, is still unknown to us.
Yana Litvinova