'Referred Pain' creates unnecessary confusion.

[gerry the neck]

‘Referred Pain’ creates unnecessary confusion


When we use the term ‘Referred Pain’, we may be unknowingly using a term which creates a false impression. ‘Referred Pain’ seems to imply that a painful symptom which is directly associated with a particular problem is ‘referred’, or ‘re-located’, to another local area of the body where there is no evidence of a local condition which would warrant such symptoms. However, this is not what happens with so-called ‘referred pain’. What actually happens is this…..a painful symptom, which would normally be associated with a local problem where it occurs, and there is no evidence of a local problem, is manifested, in that local area, as an indicator that there is a problem elsewhere….usually a threatened or trapped nerve in the spinal structure. The painful symptom itself, has no immediate relevance to the actual problem it is attempting to highlight. Where it does have relevance is in the fact that it draws our attention to the need to establish what the causative source might be. There is a reason why so-called ‘referred pain’ is utilised in this manner.

Normally, if a threatened or trapped nerve were to manifest itself directly, it would result in partial, or complete, shutdown of the mobility/flexibility of the threatened spinal area, as a defense against further aggravation of the nerve. This is inclined to occur more frequently with lumbar problems, rather than with cervical spinal problems….the reason being that the lumbar area can be immobilised safely without threatening any other vital functions, whereas, with the neck, there can be no compromising of the other vital functions which require continued flexibility of the neck for survival purposes. Where a certain flexibility or mobility needs to be maintained is where the need for so-called referred symptoms to play their part is created. Basically, so called ‘referred symptoms’ are protective ( or even distractive !) measures introduced where shutdown of mobility/flexibility is not possible without further dangers being instigated. Quite often, when this situation occurs, there is no direct indication of the spinal nerve problem….and this is particularly true of cervical nerve problems, where maybe only a little stiffness is noticeable. There may well be a direct relationship between the intensity of the ‘referred symptoms’ and the lack of definition of the symptoms at the actual source of the problem.

I think it would be more useful to redefine ‘Referred Pain’ as ‘Indicative Pain’, or as ‘Associated Pain’ in order to help identify its purpose as something which refers back to the source problem, rather than as something which seems to suggest a relocation of painful symptoms emanating from the source problem. Another way to perhaps reduce the confusion caused by the term ‘referred pain’ might be to describe it as ‘Illusionary symptoms indicating a possible threatened nerve’. The ‘pain’ as such, isn’t referred….it is created independently for the purpose of indicating a problem which can’t be manifested by other means.

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[toddchaney]

Really nice post Gerry. Now, I'm clear how to differentiate between referred pain and other pain symptoms.