Massage can control pain by activating which systems?

Massage can control pain by activating which systems?

• A. Autonomic nervous system (ANS) and Pacinian receptors
• B. Sympathetic nervous system and Meissner corpuscles
• C. Parasympathetic system and Ruffini endings
• D. Central nervous system and Merkel cells

Answer: (A)

Pain modulation from massage comes from two linked mechanisms: activation of touch receptors that feed the gate-control system, and shifts in autonomic balance toward relaxation. Pacinian corpuscles in the skin respond strongly to the vibration and pressure of massage, sending signals through large-diameter fibers that help close the gate to pain signals in the spinal cord, reducing what you feel as pain. At the same time, massage tends to promote parasympathetic activity (the rest-and-digest part of the autonomic nervous system), which lowers overall arousal, relaxes muscles, and improves circulation and waste removal. This combination—stimulating Pacinian receptors and engaging the autonomic nervous system—best explains how massage can control pain. Other receptors and broader CNS wording don’t align as directly with the specific peripheral mechanisms that underlie massage-induced pain relief.

Pain modulation from massage comes from two linked mechanisms: activation of touch receptors that feed the gate-control system, and shifts in autonomic balance toward relaxation. Pacinian corpuscles in the skin respond strongly to the vibration and pressure of massage, sending signals through large-diameter fibers that help close the gate to pain signals in the spinal cord, reducing what you feel as pain. At the same time, massage tends to promote parasympathetic activity (the rest-and-digest part of the autonomic nervous system), which lowers overall arousal, relaxes muscles, and improves circulation and waste removal. This combination—stimulating Pacinian receptors and engaging the autonomic nervous system—best explains how massage can control pain. Other receptors and broader CNS wording don’t align as directly with the specific peripheral mechanisms that underlie massage-induced pain relief.