Questions tagged [pain]

Tag for questions pertaining the sensation of unpleasant sensory and emotional experiences associated with actual or potential tissue damage.

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26 votes
3 answers
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Do oysters feel pain?

Do oysters feel pain when you bite into the inside, or when you crack open the shell? I tried google searching it to no avail. When you bite inside the oyster or when you break the shell to open the ...
Sweet_Cherry's user avatar
21 votes
1 answer
19k views

Is it painful for the hen to lay eggs?

My little son just asked me this question. His mother used to complain about the excruciating pain she suffered when she gave birth to him. He is a compassionate kid and wonders whether the hen goes ...
user768421's user avatar
19 votes
3 answers
30k views

Can one die from pain?

Is it possible that a human or any other creature can die from pain? I googled and found different answers. Some articles say Yes while others say No.
Mayank Jain's user avatar
18 votes
3 answers
2k views

What is the cause that angina pectoris is felt in your left arm?

When someone has heart problems sometimes they feel pain in their left arm. But why is the left arm painful?
Marijn 's user avatar
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15 votes
1 answer
971 views

Inability of vultures to digest diclofenac

The population of Indian vultures has been rapidly declining since 2003. This is attributed to the diclofenac present in the carcasses which the vultures eat. Vultures seem to digest all sorts of food ...
Shishir Maharana's user avatar
14 votes
4 answers
5k views

Is it possible to feel pain in some part of a body, but the pain "feeling" is introduced somewhere else?

Is it possible to feel pain in some part of a body, but that the cause of the pain is situated elsewhere in the body? For example, somebody feels pain in his toe, but it turns out that this pain is ...
scdmb's user avatar
  • 465
13 votes
3 answers
15k views

Why does having cold hands hurt?

(1). Why does having cold hands create a painful sensation? Is it a physical effect, maybe a protection mechanism from evolution? (2). Why, if one's hands are cold, does it feel as if they are more ...
User 17670's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
5k views

Why does it hurt more when you touch a nerve directly?

I am not a biologist nor know much about biology (so please explain in layman's terms) however I have always been curious as to why this is. What causes the difference in pain between touching an ...
George Reith's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
8k views

Do ants feel pain?

I have watched video on youtube where guy pours molten aluminium into fire ant colony to make casing. In the comments below there's huge discussion on is that a right thing to do. I am on the side ...
Matas Vaitkevicius's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
767 views

How does a pinched nerve cause pain (at the molecular level)?

Is this due to pressure differentials in the surrounding tissue? (Is it possible to have a pinched nerve without compression of the surrounding tissues, and does this cause pain?) What are the ...
blep's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
562 views

What does pain look like in wave form?

I am interested in understanding what "pain" and "hot/cold" look like, as far as waves signatures (signal processing) go. My general understanding of how pain (nociceptive pathways) and hot/cold (...
smeeb's user avatar
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7 votes
1 answer
2k views

How can tooth enamel feel pain when drilled by a dentist?

Enamel has no nerves, so theoretically a tooth should not feel any pain when a dentist bores into it. Yet still we use anesthetics... Maybe it’s dentin's fault? It apparently has some tubes filled ...
ScienceDiscoverer's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
24k views

What's a mouth ulcer/canker sore "made of", and why do they develop?

Mouth ulcers are red/white rings with a crater. They are sore and last for 7-10 days. What I want to know is what they are 'made of' - i.e., what is the ring filled with, and why is the centre crater ...
KenBW2's user avatar
  • 71
7 votes
1 answer
370 views

Does spinal cord have pain receptors?

I understand that the brain itself does not have pain receptors, so when the brain is damaged or cut, there is no experience of pain. For example, surgeons can operate on the brain while a patient is ...
yhnbgt's user avatar
  • 71
7 votes
1 answer
553 views

What stimulates a nociceptor?

For instance, when pressure is applied to the skin, what determines how much pressure results in nociceptor stimulation. And when a sharp object pierces the skin, why is pain, rather than simply touch,...
Meep's user avatar
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6 votes
3 answers
7k views

Do lobsters possess a nervous system to feel pain?

I was reading an article, which it mentions that lobsters do not have a nervous system: Lobsters have very poor eyesight and no nervous system. They walk slowly on the sea floor but are capable ...
Johansson's user avatar
  • 705
6 votes
1 answer
814 views

Do people with congenital analgesia feel cold?

There are a few diseases that cause an insensitivity to pain. This question asks about the relationship between the cold and pain, which got me thinking: Is shivering a response driven by the ...
James's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
112 views

How and why can cold inflict pain?

I was carrying a can of very cold liquid, had something heavy in my other hand so couldn't switch hands. After a few minutes, I started to feel very intense pain. I was very surprised. cold is just ...
user2656801's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
144 views

How does Tylenol relieve pain without making me drowsy?

So I have a crown that popped out and has been killing me, I've lived on a steady diet of Tylenol since it popped out. I've noticed that aside from killing most of the pain from the tooth, the tylenol ...
Sidney's user avatar
  • 153
5 votes
1 answer
92 views

Can nociceptors die because of too much mechanical stress?

In martial art people hit their body (e.g., with small bean bags) to become more insensitive to pain. Can the sensory neurons die during this procedure? I think this is just an urban legend. Instead, ...
inf3rno's user avatar
  • 4,460
5 votes
2 answers
863 views

Why Is The Toughness Of Skin Different On Different Parts Of The Body?

My cat was licking my arm with his sandpaper like tongue. It hurt and the area he was licking was slightly smarting afterwards. However, when he licks the palm of my hand the feeling is rather ...
kittycat's user avatar
  • 1,191
5 votes
1 answer
521 views

Why isn't the upper limit of pain lower in humans?

From what I understand, pain is an useful mechanism that signals us that something is not quite right with our body (in particular, we're under attack). It's good - it alert us and tells us that we ...
Saturn's user avatar
  • 395
5 votes
1 answer
158 views

How do we share pain?

When somebody else tells me about his or her itching or pain in some specific body part, I sometimes begin to feel similar feelings. I can think of about three explanations: I feel pain all over my ...
Probably's user avatar
  • 2,450
5 votes
1 answer
2k views

Redheads and pain receptors

I remember reading this in a biology textbook, and decided to do a little digging. Redheads have a lower sensitivity to some pain and a higher sensitivity to other compared to people of other colored ...
TGILS682's user avatar
  • 203
4 votes
2 answers
1k views

How is information sent from the skin to the brain?

Say you have a needle, and you poke a very specific area on your left thumb. A signal gets sent from that nerve up your spine and into your brain. How does the brain know exactly where this signal ...
user2721465's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
148 views

Reseach on feeling pain of other people

I'm more of a tech than bio kind of guy, but I have read and learned a lot alongside of my girlfriend's education. Which is very interesting!! Currently I want to investigate : people claiming to ...
pwghost's user avatar
  • 63
4 votes
2 answers
399 views

If one endures the same form pain over a long period of time, would the pain begin to lose intensity?

Metaphorically thinking, if one endured the pain of constant burning for decades, would the pain slowly lose its strength?
Craig Smith's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
6k views

Why Do Nerve Signals Get Crossed?

First off, I don't know if this is a normal healthy thing to occur. There have been many times where I have an itch on say my arm and I scratch it, only to feel the scratching elsewhere on my body. I ...
kittycat's user avatar
  • 1,191
4 votes
2 answers
245 views

Does the body have a gate control for pain

I understand it is not the most accurate source but I recall a House episode where he claimed the body had a control mechanism for pain in which only the most painful thing was felt. Is that true? and ...
Eric's user avatar
  • 117
4 votes
1 answer
3k views

Death by exsanguination not painful?

Several places on the internet seem to purport that animal sacrifice is painless because exsanguination causes no pain. That sounds unscientific to me and an attempt to appease culture than than using ...
user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
2k views

What causes the pain when a bone fracture is healing?

Why does a fracture still hurts when it is healing? I understand the pain at the beginning - the bone is not in its place, there is a pressure against the nerves, also the swelling pushes the nerves ...
Honza Zidek's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
739 views

Does suffocation pain involve nociceptors?

I never suffocated myself so not entirely sure, but when you suffocate, it's painful, right? But of course different kind of pain than being injured or sick. What I'm wondering is, if the "painful" (...
Kappy's user avatar
  • 59
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

Advantages of pain sensation?

The hazards of congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP) are well-known. This question is about the obverse: what selective advantage, if any, does the normal sensation of pain confer? I'm thinking of ...
daniel's user avatar
  • 2,799
3 votes
2 answers
690 views

How can we know or measure pain in animals?

Is there any standard way to know how much pain an animal feels when it gets hurt like when a bird loses it's wing or hen when killed etc. All pain sensation points? Hey I'm new to biology. :)
azam's user avatar
  • 195
3 votes
1 answer
498 views

Why is burn feeling 'slower' than touch?

When you touch a hot object you first feel the touch and only after a second you feel the burn too, and if you detach your skin from the object the burn feeling continues for few seconds. I remember i'...
Mirko's user avatar
  • 221
3 votes
2 answers
294 views

Is there a specific mechanism for the delivery of pain medication?

For example, when one takes aspirin or ibuprofen does the chemical get dispersed to all pain receptor? My question really is, how does the chemical know where to target in the body? I figure wherever ...
TGILS682's user avatar
  • 203
3 votes
1 answer
53k views

Why do we suffer abdominal pain after we get very angry or stress?

You also realize probably, when we get so much anger or high levels of stress, after some point we have terrible stomach ache, like really heavy pain. Why is that? How stress or anger can effect our ...
golgicik's user avatar
  • 413
3 votes
1 answer
1k views

Is there a maximum pain threshold?

Is there a maximum threshold of pain a Human can experience, beyond which point there is no noticeable difference? I ask this question in part to better understand the definition of pain and its ...
hello_there_andy's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
916 views

How do muscle relaxants work?

Do they act directly on the muscle and actually relax muscle tissue and ease spasms, or do they just prevent your brain from receiving signals that inform you of tight muscles? In the latter case, ...
Emi Matro's user avatar
  • 205
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

How is pain induced by blunt and sharp objects?

Normally, when something touch you, you won't feel pain. With a great force "touching" you, you will feel pain. However, if something that is spiky makes contact with you, you will feel pain. So, how ...
user17590's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
310 views

What causes sinus pain and congestion?

When the sinuses flare up, it can get very painful. Thus, my question - what biological mechanisms cause the congestion and especially the pain associated with sinusitis?
user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
46 views

Surface perception

I'm looking for research studying: How small and compressed together do particles of a surface need to be to be perceived as solid surface to human touch? E.g. sand still feels grainy. Has there been ...
Athere's user avatar
  • 41
3 votes
1 answer
233 views

Why pain caused by blunt objects vanish after some time and return at the event of touching?

Background When any bone/muscle of body is hit badly by a blunt object, it hurts pretty bad of course for some time. But, after some time the pain goes off completely or to some extent. Then, if we ...
Mockingbird's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

Is there a difference between pig and cow anatomy that makes religious slaughter of the latter less painful?

This question is not for the squeamish. I was told that non-Kosher animals like pigs have a different anatomy in their neck compared to kosher animals like cows such that the Shechita method of ...
A L's user avatar
  • 939
3 votes
0 answers
388 views

Why does crippling pain exist? [closed]

Some kinds of trauma can cause pain so severe that it makes you unable to move or do anything at all. It may put you out of action and unable to help yourself because of how excruciating it is. ...
user1062760's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
1k views

Skin extra sensitive to heat after burn

I just got my finger burnt (first degree burn $\Rightarrow$ I didn't even bother to bear the wound). It didn't hurt much, even when I pressed the wound. However, when exposed to heat (hot water, but ...
Trang Oul's user avatar
  • 143
3 votes
0 answers
129 views

Viagra for pain management

Not all men who take Viagra experience any sexual side effects about 40% have no change of sexual abilities on the pill. However like many women the drug in such cases cause a strong pain reduction ...
user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
171 views

What's the mechanism for pain-induced swoon?

Is it true that people will pass out when subject to pain too much to bear, or there's no such threshold? What's the reason for passing out under acute pain, even if no physical injuries occur (e.g, ...
Eric's user avatar
  • 215
3 votes
0 answers
114 views

Does pain scale with mammal mass?

Some biological features scale with the animal mass (see previous Q&A). Assuming the same concentration of nociceptors on the skin surface, I'm wondering how painful a 1 cm wound will be ...
Gianpaolo R's user avatar
  • 3,884
3 votes
0 answers
195 views

What controls the feeling of discomfort/comfort before and after sleep?

I'm interested in which biological systems or hormones are involved in the following phenomenon: Before sleep it may be difficult to find a comfortable position, and muscular aches and pains are more ...
Alex Stone's user avatar
  • 6,515