Question

Why does rubbing your skin after receiving a painful stimulus often result in a feeling as though the pain has been lessened?

Answer 1

Answer: The gate-control theory of pain modulation

Explanation: when we touch a hot surface, receive insect bite or a traumatic experience some signals are sent to the brain that causes the individual to withdraw from the causative agent or respond in a way to reduce the pain. The gate-control theory of pain modulation proposed that activation of non nociceptive fibres ( nerves which do not transmit pain signals)can interfere with signals from pain fibers, thereby inhibiting pain.

Therefore by rubbing your skin after receiving a painful stimulus often result in a feeling as though the pain has been lessened is an example of gate-control theory of pain modulation.

Answer 2

Rubbing the skin after receiving a painful stimulus lessened the pain because it is hypothesized that inhibitory interneurons are activated by the collaterals of an activated neuron associated with a mechanoreceptor from the skin.

The gate-control theory of pain modulation may account for this phenomenon.