If you aren’t experiencing pain, it means that any changes in tissue are not perceived to be a threat by your brain. However, that does not necessarily mean there is no tissue damage! There are many people who have endured extreme injuries and are asymptomatic. Conversely, there are people who have minor tissue changes who perceive a significant amount of pain. To summarize this point, pain is not directly correlated to a certain amount of tissue damage. Here are some examples to show that point: -A minor finger injury will cause more pain in a professional violinist than a professional dancer because finger damage poses a greater threat to the violinist. -A painful stimulus will hurt more if you are told it is hot than if you are told it is cold. Similarly, if you pair a painful stimulus with a red light it will hurt more than if the stimulus were paired with a green or blue light. -Unexplained and ongoing pain due to insidious injuries increases the threat of further pain. Simply knowing that pain is normal after surgery can cause a smaller amount of analgesics or painkillers to be required.
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