Knowra Referred pain Referred pain Referred pain is pain perceived at a location different from its source, often because sensory signals from different tissues converge on shared neural pathways.
Convergence-projection theory : A theory that the brain misattributes visceral pain because visceral and somatic signals converge on the same spinal neurons. It explains how signals from an organ can be experienced as pain in a body surface area.
Angina pectoris : Chest discomfort caused by inadequate blood flow to the heart muscle. Cardiac pain may be felt in the arm, shoulder, jaw, neck, or back.
Visceral pain : Pain arising from internal organs or their supporting structures. It is the source category most often associated with referred pain.
Radiating pain : Pain that spreads from its source along a path or into nearby regions. Unlike referred pain, it often follows the course of a nerve or contiguous tissue.
Viscerosomatic convergence : The convergence of visceral and somatic sensory inputs onto shared neurons in the spinal cord. This neural overlap is a central pathway through which visceral pain becomes referred.
Myocardial infarction : Death of heart muscle caused by prolonged interruption of its blood supply. Pain may radiate beyond the chest, including to the left arm or jaw.
Somatic pain : Pain arising from skin, muscles, joints, bones, or other body-wall tissues. Its sensory pathways can share spinal neurons with visceral signals.
Radicular pain : Pain caused by irritation or injury of a spinal nerve root. It follows nerve-root distributions rather than arising from mislocalized organ signals.
Dermatome : An area of skin supplied mainly by sensory fibers from one spinal nerve root. Referred pain often appears in skin areas linked to spinal segments receiving organ signals.
Biliary colic : Pain caused by temporary blockage of the biliary tract, commonly by a gallstone. Gallbladder pain can be perceived in the right shoulder or beneath the shoulder blade.
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