A Phenomenon of Pain – Anatomy, Physiology, Types

Bol nije samo osjet koji putuje živcima do mozga, nego i emocionalno iskustvo. Informaciju o štetnom podražaju primaju periferni receptori koji se nazivaju nociceptori, a informacija dalje putuje perifernim živcima u spinalni ganglij, dorzalni rog kralježnicne moždine te uzlaznim putovima u mozak. Centar za bol ne postoji, već se informacija o štetnom podražaju širi u brojne dijelove mozga. Kako ce pojedinac doživjeti štetni podražaj ne ovisi samo o širenju i intenzitetu podražaja, već i o nizu psiholoških cimbenika. Zbog ozljede može doci do poremecaja funkcije na periferiji ili u dorzalnom rogu te do fenomena periferne i centralne senzitizacije, koji pridonose nastanku kronicne boli. Iako bol ima zaštitnu funkciju, nije svaka vrsta boli korisna. Akutna ili nociceptivna bol ima tu zaštitnu ulogu te organizmu omogucuje zaštitu od štetnih podražaja. Naprotiv, kronična bol koja traje dugo nakon nestanka štetnog podražaja i neuropatska bol koja nastaje zbog ozljede ili bolesti živcanog sustava vrste su boli koje nemaju evolucijsku svrhu. Unatoč brojnim naprecima u razumijevanju neurobiologije boli mnoga pitanja o nastanku i terapiji boli, osobito kad je riječ o patološkim vrstama boli, ostaju otvorena.Pain is not only a sensory phenomenon, travelling from the periphery to the brain, but also an emotional experience. Peripheral receptors called nociceptors receive the information about harmful stimuli, and this information is further transmitted via peripheral nerves to the dorsal root ganglion, the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and to the brain via ascending pathways. There is no centre for pain but, the information about harmful stimuli reaches many parts of the brain. Therefore, the experience of pain does not only depend on the intensity of the harmful stimuli, but also on multiple psychological phenomena. Injury may induce changes of the neuronal function in the peripheral nervous system and in the dorsal horn, and consequently peripheral and central sensitization, contributing to the development of chronic pain. Even though pain is essentially a protective mechanism, not every type of pain is useful for the organism. Acute or nociceptive pain has this protective function, pointing out to the origin and type of harmful stimuli. On the other hand, chronic pain that lasts long after harmful stimuli have disappeared, and neuropathic pain caused by a lesion or a disease of the somatosensory system are pathological types of pain without any evolutionary purpose. Despite numerous advances in our understanding of the neurobiology of pain, there are many unresolved questions about pain and its development and therapy, especially when it comes to the pathological types of pain