What type of pain is characterized by a painful response despite a non-painful stimulus?

The type of pain characterized by a painful response despite a non-painful stimulus is known as allodynia. This phenomenon occurs when a person experiences pain from stimuli that typically do not cause pain, such as light touch or temperature changes. Allodynia is often associated with various chronic pain conditions and can result from mechanisms such as central sensitization, where the nervous system becomes overly responsive to stimuli.

In contrast, other terms describe different pain experiences. Paresthesia refers to an abnormal sensation, such as tingling or prickling, often without any actual painful response. Hyperalgesia involves an increased sensitivity to pain—where a painful stimulus feels more painful than it normally would—but does not involve a non-painful stimulus being perceived as painful, as seen in allodynia. Neuropathic pain is caused by damage or dysfunction in the nervous system and can present with various sensations, but it is not defined by the response to non-painful stimuli in the way allodynia is. Thus, recognizing allodynia is key for understanding how certain pain responses can arise from non-painful triggers.