What is meant by the term “referred pain”?
- Referred pain is a phenomenon whereby pain is felt at a location other than the site of painful stimulus.
- Classic examples are pain in the left arm or jaw with a myocardial infarction, or pain at the tip of the scapula with liver or gallbladder pathologic conditions.
- The mechanism is poorly understood but several theories exist, including convergence-projection, which hypothesizes that separate afferent axons converge on the same spinal neuron, producing the disturbed sensation.
