Pain is not caused by any specific type of stimulus nor is there special receptor cells located within the body dedicated to it. Though pain largely exists in the brain, it is your body’s way of communicated that something is wrong. This allows us to recognize when we are sick or injured so we can attend to our ailments. Many circumstances can influence how we perceive pain, such as distractions, society (such as in cases of epidemic-related mass hysteria), memory, and mental state (26, 27).
The gate control theory states that within the spinal cord is a neural gate-type structure that either impedes or allows pain signals to continue to the brain. The gate is opened by the pain impulse’s activity in surrounding fibers, and closed either by more influential fibers or a signal from the brain . This theory supports that chronic pain can be treated by stimulation of these large nerve fibers, such as through massage, which will then close the gate (27).
Sense-sational 