explain
pain
section
3
page
50
Inflammation: More danger bang for
your injury buck
I
nflammation accompanies every tissue injury and the brain
will nearly always be interested. Not just innails in the feet,
but strains and sprains and all sorts of injuries. Humans are
able to draw on awide variety of cues in order tomake the
dangermessagemeaningful. We thought it important to
remind you of this as you think about injured tissues.
Think about themanwith a nail inhis foot overleaf. Think
about what other cuesmight be used by thisman’s brain in
order to construct themostmeaningful response, including
the pain response, themotor response, the sympathetic,
immune, and endocrine responses. After all, thismanneeds
to draw on every piece of information that will best serve him
in the quest to protect and preserve (Charles Darwinwould
argue it is all in aid of making sure that by the time he dies,
he hasmore offspring than the next person).
With a nail in the foot, your brainwill be computing and
retrieving information about previous similar events, trying
to determine the best way to respond. Therewill be
computations related to previous injury. Do I need a tetanus
shot?Whenwasmy last tetanus shot? Therewill be
computations about the immediate circumstances. I should
move the nail in case someone else stands on it. How silly
will I look later? I haven’t time for this! Is the bloodmaking
amess?Have I punctured an artery? Therewill also be
computations relating to the future. Ismy FredAstaire
dancing career finished?Will I need crutches?Will I have to
go to hospital?Will it become infected? Therewill be further
computations related to similar events in the lives of others.
Will I end up like that woman on the Jerry Springer show?
Will I be treated by that new doctor at the hospital? Or
computations related to livelihood. Can I work?Will I need to
get new shoes? Can I claim compensation?
The amazing thing is that thismanwill have no idea that all
of these thingsmight be contributing to his pain. All he
knows is that
it hurts!
