Where there is stimulation, there is counterstimulation
Once again I find myself “announcing” a “new” article that has actually been available on PainScience.com for quite some time — almost a year now. I just haven’t promoted it until now. Two weeks ago I did this with “What Works for Chronic Pain?” This article isn’t as a big deal, but it’s still an important topic that I probably should have written about a decade ago, because it’s relevant to most kinds of pain treatments:
Counterstimulation, Counterirritation, and Gate Control
Counterwhat, now? From the introduction:
Counterstimulation is a basic neurological mechanism for minor temporary pain relief, a sensory “distraction” from pain. It is used, and perhaps overused, as an explanation for the benefits of popular treatments like ultrasound, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), massage therapy, Kinesio Tape, RUB A535, acupuncture, and vibration therapy.
Counterstimulation is certainly a real thing — firmly based on the well-known neurological principle of “gate control” — but it’s not a potent thing. You could call it another tool for the pain treatment toolbox, but it’s not an impressive tool. Maybe just like a small screwdriver or a tack hammer.
However, even humble tools have good uses in the right circumstances. Sometimes a small screwdriver is exactly what you need. And there’s a cousin of counterstimulation that might have much broader significance to chronic pain patients: maybe enough of the right kind of sensation can drown out pain in a more robust way.
Read the whole article [~2,750 words, ~10-minute read]: