Reflexes and chronic pain

Viscero-cutaneous reflexes and chronic pain.

The central nervous system can be considered as a series of accumulated computers connected to each other. Each computer takes care of its own peripheral equipment. In case of a human being those are the organs and organ parts. Every organ(part) has its own computer and other organ(parts) to which it can communicate.

When an organ from the abdominal cavity or chest cavity communicates to an area on the skin this is called viscero-cutaneous reflex. On the other hand, an impulse of the skin area which incites a reaction in the matching organ(partly) has a cutano-visceral reflex.

In the living organisms this is not easy to see. An exception are the transparent glass eels. In an number of investigations with glass eels in 1919-1936 the Dane Wernøe demonstrated these viscero-cutaneous reflexes.

But a human being is not a glass eel.

In spite of all this physiotherapy is using these connections and reactions for many years, as though they have been proven in reality. A complimentary technique such as neural therapy and possibly acupuncture does this for over 100 years.

In 1962 the German professors Hansen and Schliack published an impressive reference work: “Segmentale Innervation: Ihre Bedeutung fúr Klinik und Praxis”. Editor: Georg Thieme Verlag in Stuttgart. In this reference work all known publications of that moment have been summarized and described.

In 1966 the gynecologist professor Kloosterman published an article about “abdominal wall pain”, a variant of abdominal pain. It became the base of the start to the nature of chronic pain.

Is chronic abdominal wall pain apart from the situation of the internal organs or can they cause chronic pain as well? Even though you can simply demonstrate that the painful spot is situated in the abdominal wall.

Read more. 

Veen PHE van der, Martens EP. Viscerocutaneous reflexes with abdominal wall pain: A study conducted in 1981 on pregnant women from a general practice. Thermography international. 2013;23(2): 56-63


Available at:

http://www.uhlen.at/thermology-international/index.php



Veen PHE van der. Viscero-cutaneous reflexes in relation to abdominal and pelvic  pain. A study from 1982 in females with IUD insertions. Thermography international. 2013;23(3): 87-92


Available at:

http:// www.uhlen.at/thermology-international/index.php



Veen PHE van der. Infrared thermography for pain influenced by a Xanthine derivative: An attempt to assess chronic pain objectively.

Thermology international Vol 24 (2014), No. 2: 39-48


Available at:

http://www.uhlen.at/thermology-international/index.php


Abdominal Wall Pain:

Veen PHE van der. Effects of Placebo Measured by Infrared Thermography.

Thermology international 2014, 24(4) 157-165


Available at:


http://www.uhlen.at/thermology-international/index.php