Referred pain

Radiating pain, referred pain, pseudo-radicular pain, rebound pain

Referred pain, also known as "radiating pain," occurs when pain is felt in a location different from its actual source.

The most well-known example of referred pain is discomfort in the left shoulder and left arm during heart problems, or pain in the upper arm when the source of the pain is actually in the shoulder.

How does referred pain arise?

The explanation for referred pain lies in how nerves function. A nerve receives signals from multiple body structures, including both superficial and deeper structures.

Superficial structures include the skin, while deeper structures include bones, organs, muscles, and ligaments. This nerve cell transmits information to the brain. Sometimes, the brain struggles to determine whether pain signals originate from superficial or deeper structures.

The skin has significantly more nerve endings than deeper structures, causing the brain to often interpret the pain as coming from the skin. As a result, pain is felt in a different skin area than where the actual source of the pain is located.

Phantom pain

Phantom pain is another form of referred pain. The brain misinterprets signals from the body, causing pain to be felt in an amputated body part. This occurs because the nerves that once supplied the amputated limb also serve other parts of the body. Since the skin area of the amputated limb normally has the most nerve endings, the brain tends to assume that the pain originates from this area.

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