08/09/2025
Why does rubbing a “boo-boo” make the pain go away? Distracting? Not necessarily.
The mind-body connection in the perception of pain is such a cool thing!
✨The Gate-Control Theory✨
Think of nerve fibers as the little pathways that carry messages from your body to your brain. Different fibers carry different messages.
Large nerve fibers relay information such as touch or feeling pressure.
Small nerve fibers are responsible for pain and temperature.
Large fibers send messages very quickly while small fibers are much slower.
Studies show that when there’s more large fiber activity than small fiber activity, you actually perceive pain as being less painful
Painful stimuli is blocked ⛔️ from getting to the brain by fibers that transmit their sensation faster.
Stimulating large fiber activity, then, can help “close the gates” by getting to your brain first. They tell pain signals (the ones carried by small fibers) that they’re not allowed in.
Touch and pressure both stimulate large fiber activity, which explains why kissing a boo-boo or clutching a stubbed toe can help take away some of the pain.
That sensation of something else actually prevents other signals from getting through to our brains. The gate closes, and that pain signal doesn’t make it into your brain.
Next time you get hurt, close those gates! 🔐