OBJECTIVE The discovery of neuroplastic phenomena such as central sensitization of nociception has challenged pain theory to evolve, to encompass unpredictable and unlikely chronic pain states, and to cope with the emerging complexity of the brain. Recently, the proposition that chronic pain is a disease in its own right has gained currency, based upon functional and structural changes in the b...

Context: A number of psychosocial theories have been developed to predict, explain, and change health behaviors. The previous studies were concerned about the pain management practices based on various underpinning theories. Some of these studies utilized the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Furthermore, other pain management studies used the KAP model to assess the...

The gate control theory of pain, put forward by Ronald Melzack (a Canadian psychologist) and Patrick David Wall (a British physician) in 1962, and again in 1965, is the idea that the perception of physical pain is not a direct result of activation of nociceptors, but instead is modulated by interaction between different neurons, both pain-transmitting and non-pain-transmitting. The theory asser...

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are intelligent systems that have successfully been used for prediction in different medical fields. In this study, the capability of ANN in predicting body behavior in pain-producing situations is evaluated. A three-layer back-propagation ANN is designed using MATLAB software. The inputs include the magnitude of stimulation in pain fibers, touch fibers and cen...

Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are intelligent systems that have successfully been used for prediction in different medical fields. In this study, the capability of ANN in predicting body behavior in pain-producing situations is evaluated. A three-layer back-propagation ANN is designed using MATLAB software. The inputs include the magnitude of stimulation in pain fibers, touch fibers and cen...

The nature of pain has been the subject of bitter controversy since the turn of the century (1). There are currently two opposing theories of pain: (i) specificity theory, which holds that pain is a specific modality like vision or hearing, "with its own central and peripheral apparatus" (2), and (ii) pattern theory, which maintains that the nerve impulse pattern for pain is produced by intense...