Neuropathic Central Pain

Abstract

NOCICEPTIVE central pain is an emerging concept.¹ It is well established that direct injury to the brain or spinal cord may be followed by pain but it is not generally realized that damage to peripheral nociceptive nerve endings in soft tissue, plexuses, or the nerves themselves also causes nociceptive central pain.² Inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, infection, and chemical irritation of peripheral tissues share many of the features noted following peripheral nerve damage.³ A fundamental difference between inflammatory pain with tissue hypersensitivity and neuropathic pain is that in the former the pain is relieved when inflammation has resolved and in the latter it may persist after healing of the primary event.