Referred pain allows pain felt in one body part to originate elsewhere
Referred pain is a well-documented neurophysiological phenomenon where pathology in one body part, such as internal viscera or compressed spinal nerves, manifests as pain felt in a completely different somatic region.
The retrieved papers consistently support the physiological reality and mechanisms of referred pain, detailing how convergence in the nervous system causes pain originating in one location to be perceived elsewhere.
Zhou Q, Verne GN. Molecular Mechanisms and Pathways in Visceral Pain.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14151146
Paper 0 discusses how central sensitization and viscerosomatic convergence contribute to referred pain mechanisms.
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Yang E, Muñoz-Vergara D, Ahn AC, Lu W, Napadow V, Cronin AE, Wayne PM. Inside-Out Mechanism of Referred Visceral Pain: Protocol for a Systematic Review of Cutaneous Neurogenic Inflammation in Preclinical Animal Models of Visceral Diseases.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.2196/67852
Paper 2 evaluates preclinical animal models to understand how visceral diseases lead to referred somatic pain.
Xu W, Zhang D, Tang Y, Wang Y, Wang Z, Xi H, Gao X, Zhu B, Cui X. CHRNA3⁺ nociceptors prime the cutaneous sensory interface to enhance electroacupuncture analgesia.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13020-026-01425-w
Paper 3 investigates how visceral disease induces referred somatic hypersensitivity at specific acupoints.
He C, Liu Y, Bao R, Zhang H, Chen H. Diagnosis and treatment of abdominal pain of spinal origin: a case report.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13256-026-06043-6
Paper 4 reports a case where lumbar radiculopathy caused pain felt in the abdomen, mimicking a visceral issue.
Bordoni B, Simonelli M, Morabito B, Escher AR. The Spinal Facilitation Hypothesis and Reflex Arcs in Modern Osteopathic Medicine.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.91782
Paper 6 explains how spinal segmental facilitation and reflex arcs allow visceral disorders to produce somatic symptoms.
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