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How can touch or rubbing near an injury reduce pain signals?

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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.

The relief experienced when rubbing or applying pressure to an injured area is explained by the gate control theory of pain.1

According to this model, the perception of pain is modulated by a neural mechanism located in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. This area acts as a "gate" that regulates incoming signals from peripheral nerve fibers. When you rub or apply tactile stimulation near an injury, you activate non-painful sensory nerve fibers. This tactile input can inhibit the activity of the nerve fibers responsible for transmitting pain signals, effectively "closing the gate" and reducing the intensity of the pain sensation reaching the brain.12

While the original gate control theory has been refined by modern research, the fundamental observation remains that the nervous system integrates multiple inputs, and non-noxious stimulation can successfully interfere with the transmission of pain impulses.12