Why do some people experience more pain than others in response to the same thing; for example, a sprained wrist or ankle?
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February 2008
Q. Why do some people experience more pain than others in response to the same thing; for example, a sprained wrist or ankle???
A. There are genetic and emotional differences between people; often, pain has an emotional “overlay.” For example, women who have been sexually abused report higher levels of pelvic pain than other women.
There are two components to pain: firing of the nerve that leads to the brain, and the suffering component. So, for example, if someone does repetitive lifting at a job they hate, the pain they experience may be at least partly related to their feelings about the job.
Guest Expert: Pamela Pierce Palmer, MD, PhD, is director of the Pain Center for Advanced Research and Education at The University of California at San Francisco.
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