Some individuals with chronic pain use a type of therapy in which mild painful sensations are applied to another part of the body in an attempt to block the chronic pain. This is based on the concept of __________ and emerges from the __________ theory of pain.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Counterirritation therapy involves applying mild painful sensations to a different part of the body in order to block chronic pain. This idea stems from the gate control theory of pain, which suggests that non-painful stimuli can activate inhibitory interneurons in the spinal cord and decrease the transmission of painful stimuli to the brain. Therefore, counterirritation therapy aims to activate these inhibitory interneurons and reduce the sensation of chronic pain.

Some Individuals with Chronic Pain Use a Type of Therapy