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How can stress activate the body's pain-inhibiting system?

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How does the human body perceive and respond to pain? — pain Learn how the human body senses pain and reacts to it.

Stress can activate the body's pain-inhibiting system through a physiological mechanism involving descending pathways that originate in the brain and terminate in the spinal cord.2

When the body experiences stress or shock, it triggers the release of endogenous opioids, specifically enkephalins and endorphins. These peptides act as natural painkillers by binding to neural receptors, which in turn activates a descending neural pathway that blocks the reception of pain stimuli at the dorsal horn of the spinal cord.12

This system is highly effective; in cases of severe trauma, the rapid release of these substances can result in a temporary absence of pain. By inhibiting the transmission of noxious input before it reaches higher levels of the nervous system, the body can effectively modulate or even "obliterate" the conscious perception of pain during high-stress situations.123