Last updated: Fri, Jul 26, 2024
We've seen that the area of pain can spread because of increased sensitivity in the spinal cord as the result of large volleys of input from nociceptive sensors. The spine can also be sensitized by inflammation in the periphery, which apparently is sensed by the C fibers.
The examples of sensitization that we have looked at so far seem to be normal, programmed responses of the body to perceived injury. This process can extend over large areas and continue for long periods of time. Mechanisms by which this happens are described in the following sections.
This should probably be called 'spreading' pain only, because 'radiating' is used otherwise clinically.