When you use an ice pack on a sore back or twisted ankle, at first it feels cold, then your skin feels like it is burning, then goes numb. Anyone know the medical reason for the burning sensation from a cold source?
2006-07-31 10:28:10 · 5 answers · asked by Thespia_2000 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Medicine
Skin has two types of cells for measuring temperature: heat receptors and cold receptors. These are scattered over your whole body, but they're most heavily concentrated on your face, your most temperature-sensitive region. Your brain determines skin temperature by counting how frequently these cold and heat receptors fire.
If you've ever spilled something very hot on yourself, you might have noticed that it can feel oddly chilly in addition to painfully hot. This is because your cold receptors start firing at very high temperatures, as well as your heat receptors. Likewise, if you touch something very cold, it might feel strangely hot as well. This is because pain receptors are triggered by extreme cold, and these signals are easily confused with heat.
If your skin's only a little hot or cold--but still near eighty-six degrees--your receptors will stop firing and skin will get used to being that temperature. Test this by filling three bowls of water--make one warm, one cool, and one in-between. Put one hand in the warm water and the other in the cool, then leave them there. After they get used to these temperatures, move them both to the middle bowl. Your hand from the cool water will now feel warm, while your hand from the warm water will now feel cool!
2006-07-31 13:31:43 · answer #1 · answered by beedaduck 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
1
2017-02-20 00:06:29 · answer #2 · answered by Janet 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that the water in the cells freeze and burst. When you are burned by heat, the water in the cells boil and burst. I guess that the feeling is the same because the cell damage is the same.
2006-07-31 10:56:22 · answer #3 · answered by Randy G 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I anticipate it is going to be plenty just like the remedy time it could take should you'd burned your self with whatever sizzling. Unfortunately, there may be now not so much you'll do approximately it. I doubt you burned it adequate to scar your dermis.
2016-08-28 14:57:56 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
something called Freezer burn.
2006-07-31 10:32:17 · answer #5 · answered by blazer 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋