Even a minor blow or cut does not go unnoticed. Any living creature seeks to get rid of this sensation by immediately pulling the limb away from the object that caused the pain, or taking other measures, often reflexive. And, perhaps, every person at least once in his life dreamed that his body would lose its sensitivity, relieving it of unpleasant experiences.
Why is pain necessary and why does it occur? Medicine has long studied all the features of this manifestation and is ready to give answers to most questions.
What is pain, and why is it needed?
The human body is mottled with nerves that carry nerve impulses. Pain arises in a situation where nerve endings are irritated. Irritation of skin receptors can occur - for example, with a burn, or receptors inside the tissue - with deep damage.
These mechanisms are relevant for internal organs, which also have nerves and receptors. An impulse from irritation passes through the nerves and enters the brain, where it stands for pain signal.
Pain is a peculiar signal of an organism about trouble, requiring attention to the part of the body from which it emanates. And it is absolutely necessary, because without such sensations, living beings simply could not live.
Having found pain, a person seeks to get rid of an unpleasant sensation - removes a dangerous object from himself, pulls his hand away from a hot surface, and so on.Such reflex actions relieve the body of further damage. Moreover, even a small child perfectly remembers the object that caused him pain, and in the future tries to avoid it. Self-preservation instinct is associated with pain, without which we could hardly live to old age.
Thus, pain signals the problems of the body, attracts attention even if it is not about injuries or burns. Since nerve endings and receptors are present in all organs, the stomach can also hurt - from the inside. A similar phenomenon tells a person about need to see a doctor, be examined and treated to get rid of the discomfort.
Interesting fact: since the innervation of internal organs is less developed than, for example, the skin, sensations may be unclear. For example, abdominal pain can be a symptom of dozens of diseases and problems with a variety of organs.
Pain threshold and specificity of perception
Some people believe that women can tolerate pain more easily, and their sensitivity threshold is lower, which allows them to successfully cope with childbirth. However, doctors refute this fact, indicating that the pain limits for each person are individual, and this indicator does not depend on gender. But how, then, do women cope with childbirth without anesthesia?
As shown by numerous studies, the human body is able to independently produce and, if necessary, release into the blood substances - anesthetics that block pain.Moreover, the body "knows how" to produce such strong painkillers that modern pharmacy is able to create only tens of times weaker analogs. They act instantly, and stand out in extreme situations.
So, some people noted that at the time of stress they did not even feel pain and did not notice injuries, all sensations came only later. This is due precisely to the ability of the human body to control these impulses due to natural anesthetics. It is they who help women during childbirth.
And the psychological readiness of a person plays a huge role. Anyone who is able to tune in to having to endure a little tolerates the pain easier than other people who do not know how to tune themselves, or have not received time for this.
Painkillers - Natural and Synthetic
The mechanisms that help transfer pain are extremely important for the body. Indeed, sensations of too intense intensity can lead not only to loss of consciousness, but also to death. Many synthetic painkillers were created primarily in order to save the patient from combat shock after injuries or during the operation.
This applies to both general and local anesthesia. Various means can suppress the work of nerve endings, suspend the transmission of nerve impulses, or simply turn off a person’s consciousness for a while to help him cope with a feeling of too much intensity. However, painkillers should not be abused.
If you have an injury that causes severe pain, or you experience abdominal pain, for example, should see a doctor and be examined. The more intense the pain, the greater the trouble can be discussed, because it is literally an alarm for the human body.
Thus, pain as a sensation is generated by the nervous system and indicates dysfunction. The signal is decrypted by the brain, it can stimulate a number of reflexes - for example, pull the hand away, and so on. It should be borne in mind that strong or prolonged sensations of this kind are always an occasion to consult a doctor.
