Referred pain is also known as reflective pain. The definition of referred pain is a pain that the patient feels somewhere else in the body and not where its cause is. The mechanism by which occurs is not well understood although it is perceived to be because of nerves. Referred pain can really confuse a person and cause stress. However, going to the doctor for a checkup will really help as the cause of referred pain can be traced with the help of a chart.
Referred pain chart is a map on the human body which indicates the regions and patterns of referred pain by some conditions which are known to cause this phenomena. One can find this chart on the internet and interpret the results.
Some examples of referred pain are :
- Pain due to an impending heart attack can be felt at the jaw, neck, left shoulder, left arm and right down to the left wrist.
- Kidney stone pain may be felt in the groin and inner thighs.
- Pain due to liver disease is often referred to the right shoulder blade and even to the trapezius muscle. The same happens with gallbladder attack.
- Phantom limb pain is an excruciating pain that is felt by people who have lost a limb. The brain creates a sensation of pain in body part that is not even there.
- Pain due to diaphragm and breathing difficulty often cause pain in the left shoulder. This pain varies in intensity with breathing.
- Many of us experience headache when we eat or drink something really cold and icy. Although the sensation of cold is sent by the mouth, pain is felt in the head, which is strange.
- Referred hip pain is a pain that is felt at the hips but it may be because of sciatic nerve or spine disease.
- Referred tooth pain is a really bizarre situation in which people complain of pain in one teeth although the cause for pain lies in another tooth ( like a cavity ). People who have such pain are really surprised when they find out that the body can also create such phenomenon.
- Referred ear pain is caused by health issues outside the ear. Many times ear pain is not due to ear but because of jaw joint dislocation, throat infections or even due to tooth pain.
- Appendicitis pain may be felt in other parts of the abdomen whereas the location of appendix may just feel tender.
- Pain in the back is not always caused by back strain, as most people would deduce. It can be referred pain due to liver, gallbladder disease. Lower back pain may be because of kidneys, or stones in the urinary tract. Spleen pain is often experienced in the back.
