It's no wonder tracking the exact path of pain in the body, predicting pain responses, and developing better pain management therapies have proven difficult. Much of what scientists have learned in the last decade has resulted from new technologies that allow them to see more deeply inside the brain, where the body's pain perception software is housed. Computer topography scanning, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound technology all have been enhanced, giving doctors and researchers a better view of what happens when a body is in pain. I stubbed my toe. Studies suggest that immediately following an injury, chemicals that produce pain sensations are released by injured tissues.
Proteins combine with other chemicals that cause the injured area to become inflamed.
The proteins attract white blood cells, which rush to the damaged tissue as part of the body's anti infection arsenal. More chemicals, such as histamines, serotonin, and potassium, are released either by the damaged tissue cells or by the cells that move from the blood vessels to the site of injury. Still more chemicals, including bradykinin, prostaglandins, and leukotrienes, are produced by enzymes that are called to action following tissue damage. This entire process, which takes only seconds to complete, is called transduction. Once activated, the nerve endings send impulses to the central nervous system by way of chemicals called neurotransmitters, which carry information about tissue damage to the dorsal horn near the top of the spinal cord.