Pain, it's not just for breakfast anymore...

I have a test tonight (YES, another test)... it's on Chapter 4 in our Massage text book. Chapter 4 is entitled "The Scientific Art of Therapeutic Massage".

Key terms in this chapter:
Breathing pattern disorder, Centering, Circulation, Compression, Connective Tissue, Conservation withdrawal, Cortisol (THAT should generate some hits!), Counterirritation, Dopamine, Dynorphins, Endorphins, Enkephalins, Entrainment, Entrapment, Epinephrine/adrenaline, Gate Control Theory, General Adaptation Syndrome (Fight-or-Flight), Growth Hormone

As you can see, the chapter is basically about pain and pain management.

Does anyone else see the irony in ME studying how to REDUCE pain? But of course, those of us described as... hmm, well... masochists(?), pain-fetishists(?) - we like CERTAIN pains while others are not desirable. And most of us, at least aren't sadists (though SOME are switches)...
I have little desire to inflict pain on anyone... unless they want me to... heh. And even then, it's not really in my nature.
So I guess massage really is the career for me.

While studying Chapter 4 in class, we discussed the section called "Hyperstimulation Analgesia"(part of the gate control theory).
Which is described as diminishing the perception of a sensation (pain) by stimulating large-diameter nerve fibers. The premise is that the "large-diameter" nerve fiber sensations take precedence over the small-diameter ones.

The last sentence in the section states: "In recent years transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has become a popular method of producing hyperstimulation analgesia"
Boy, oh boy..... that sentence alone had me tingling ALL OVER!