Central sensitization is defined by greater sensitivity/responsiveness of n ociceptive neurons to a normal or low-threshold input. This hypersensitivity is wide-ranging (e.g., touch, light, sounds, smells). Basically, it is an altered perception of potential pain stimuli.
The example of acute skin injury may help to better understand these mechanisms:
The skin area of the injury responds to light touch, heat and pinpricks. These are signs of peripheral and central sensitization processes. In the absence of a continuous trigger (e.g., resolution of inflammation), sensitization would either return to the normal stimulus threshold or become pathological and outlast the stimuli.
This process can play an important role in persistent/chronic pain. A multimodal therapy or treatment is very important here, since pain is always a conglomerate of various factors.
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