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Ouch!!! Gotcha!

Pain, although often uncomfortable, is a protective mechanism that alerts us to potential or actual harm to the body's tissues.

Here, the peripheral nervous system sent a pain message to the brain that a bee sting occurred on the nose.

Let's take a look at an instant replay to see how this communication works.

The pain receptors in the skin detect tissue damage from the bee sting. Then, the peripheral nerves send a pain signal to the brain. The brain analyzes the pain signal.

Ouch!!!

In turn, the brain delivers a message back to the muscles of the arm to react.

Hasta la beesta, babee!

As you can tell, it's a very effective system.

Review Date: 7/21/2022
Reviewed By: Frank D. Brodkey, MD, FCCM, Associate Professor, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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