how does a pain killer know which area to "kill the pain"??

Answer 1

Pain killers basically work on your nervous system, since there are no known "pain" areas in the brain, pain must come from some kind of trauma to the nerves. So anyways, pain killers work at stimulating receptors in your spinal cord which lessens the experience of pain. The analgesic experience may come from the placebo effect, your own belief that since you've taken something for the pain, the pain must go away after a little while.

Answer 2

I wondered the same thing until I became a nurse. The pain medicine works with the pain receptors in the brain. So, you still have the "pain", but the pain signal which is sent normally is blocked by the analgesic, or pain reliever. Make sense?

Answer 3

Because all pain is interpreted by the brain. The signals are sent through the nervous system to the area of the brain that interprets these messages. Pain killers act on this part of the brain to interupt or limit its reaction to pain.

Answer 4

It doesn't. The chemical just gets in your body and work everywhere. When it gets to the area of pain, it will work there to lessen it. But it has effects elsewhere too, hence the side effects that one may get after consuming any medicine for that matter. You know, like developing gastritis if you take pain killers for too frequently?

Answer 5

Although comments may be correct, different pain killers definitely affect different areas better or worse for whatever reason. The only thing that helps my ear pain is codeine. No other that I have tried helps that area. However, it does not help the rest of my body well.

Answer 6

Differnt painkillers work differently some affect the pain receptors in the brain others enter the blood stream and affect the nerves in the painful area.

Answer 7

I think pain killers just block the nerve that sends the pain signal, no matter where your body is hurting. For instance it you take a Tylenol for a headache, but it also takes care of your musclue ache elsewhere.

Answer 8

Some painkillers, like aspirin, work by thinning the blood and reducing body temperature to actually remove the pain rather than just deaden you to it. Others do work on the brain, causing it to not read the incoming pain signals - like morphine and things. It differs with all painkillers. Please ask a physician if you need more detailed information.

Answer 9

It works the same all over the body but you only know it's working where the pain was because you have no way of feeling the other parts because they don't hurt.

I know what I mean.

Answer 10

Painkillers simply raise your pain thresh hold or tolerance level, the pain is still there but your brain doesnt register it. I wondered this for a long time until i read it somewhere, there wasnt answers then!!