A holistic thermomechanical model of skin thermal pain

Skin thermal pain is one of the most common problems forhuman in everyday life and in thermal therapies. However, its underlyingphysical mechanisms are not clearly understood, and there are few attemptsto model it. In this paper, a holistic mathematical model for quantifyingskin thermal pain sensation is developed. The model is composed of threeinterconnected parts: peripheral modulation of noxious stimuli,which converts the energy from a noxious thermal stimulus intoelectrical energy via nerve impulses; transmission, which transports theseneural signals from the site of transduction in the skin to the spinal cordand brain; and modulation and perception in the spinal cord and brain. Withthe holistic model, a direct relationship is built between the level ofthermal pain sensation and the character of noxious stimuli.