Can someone help me understand the mechanisms by which pain signals travel from the site of injury to the various parts of the brain. And also the role of the descending pathways that help to mediate pain. And finally the gate theory of pain proposed by Melzack and Wall.
I sort of understand bits and bobs of the physiological mechanisms of pain but I am finding it difficult to put it all together to understand it in logical and coherent manner.
2006-11-03 10:36:41 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Pain & Pain Management
I think you'll find medical/nursing journals are a far more reliable source for this kind of information.
2006-11-03 10:38:49 · answer #1 · answered by Nurse Soozy 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
these aren't exact numbers.... but you have C nerve fibers that sense pain and relate the message to your brain. This pulses can travel around "50-100" pulses per second (pps). What melzack and wall proposed was the Gate theory of pain control. Your A and B nerve fibers are mechanoreceptors picking up pressure, vibration and things like that. These nerves fire at a greater rate, say "100-130" pps.... There's only one pathway for the signals to travel up, and only one sensory stimulation can get through the "gate" at once, so if you send more of the non-painful stimuli, then less pain stimuli can get through. So yeah...that's kinda it...that's why rubbing something if it hurts helps, or using electrical stimulation helps to alleviate pain...
2006-11-03 12:31:54 · answer #2 · answered by beckerton12 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋