Final answer:
Referred pain is when visceral sensations are perceived in different parts of the body. For example, heart sensations can be felt as pain in the left shoulder and arm. The location of referred pain is not random and is related to the level at which the sensory fibers enter the spinal cord.
Step-by-step explanation:
Referred pain is the conscious perception of visceral sensation projected to a different region of the body. This phenomenon occurs when strong visceral sensations rise to the level of conscious perception and are felt in unexpected places. For example, strong visceral sensations of the heart can be felt as pain in the left shoulder and left arm. The location of referred pain is not random, but rather related to the level at which the visceral sensory fibers enter the spinal cord. The brain misinterprets the sensations from the visceral region as being from the referred pain location due to the shared level of entry into the spinal cord.