Scientists are unraveling the processes within the body that cause the unpleasant feeling of pain. Here’s a straightforward explanation of what happens when you feel one kind of pain.
How Do We Feel Pain?
- You prick your finger on anything sharp. This causes tissue injury, which can be read by nociceptors (microscopic pain receptors) in your skin. Every pain receptor makes one end of a nerve cell (neuron). It’s connected to the opposite end in the spinal cord by a long nerve fiber or axon. After the pain receptor is triggered, it transmits an electrical signal up the nerve fiber.
- The nerve fiber is bundled with many others to make a peripheral nerve. The electrical signal passes up the