The biological function of pain is to indicate that a harmful alteration that can harm us takes place in the body. However, sometimes we also feel pain in the absence of noxious stimuli. On World Pain Day, we share with you some of the latest discoveries about pain and its perception.
Wince in pain.There are two key muscle groups for the expression of pain in the face: around the musclea circular eye, which makes us squint, and the depressor musclethe corner of the mouth, which causes the mouth to contract.
Get old.Constant pain is also capable of accelerating the signs of aging. Young people can appear up to two or three decades older (wrinkles, gray hair, lack of mobility …) if they have experienced pain for a long time, according to a study with more than 18,000 participants published in the journalJournal of the American Geriatric Society.
Less memory.Chronic pain negatively affects memory and the ability to concentrate, as recently confirmed by a study from the University of Alberta (USA).
Endorphins.Wounded soldiers, under the stress of a battle, release enkephalins, a type of endorphins that act as painkillers until the end of combat.
Hot chocolate.According to a study by the University of Chicago (USA) published in the journalJournal of Neuroscience, fifty grams of dark chocolate or a cup of hot chocolate can make a pain go away.
Painful tic.There is a condition calledtrigeminal neuralgiaor painful tic affecting the fifth cranial nerve, one of the longest in the head. Causes sudden, sporadic, extreme burning or shock-type facial pain lasting from a few seconds to 2 minutes per episode.
Songs.Listening to music reduces pain, especially in individuals suffering from anxiety.
Painful obesityThere is a direct relationship between obesity and pain, as revealed in a study published earlier this year in the journalObesity. Specifically, overweight people report 20% more episodes of pain, which increases up to 68% in subjects with type I obesity and up to 136% in individuals with type II obesity.
From “downturn”.Using neuroimaging techniques, researchers at the University of Oxford have shown that depressed people perceive pain more intensely than healthy people because their brain processes painful sensations with a greater emotional charge.
Smoking hurts.Smokers suffer more chronic back pain than non-smokers, and women suffer neck pain more often than men, according to different studies.
