Sensitization 

Sensitization refers to an increased responsiveness of the nervous system to stimulation, making normally tolerable inputs feel painful or exaggerated.

There are two main types: peripheral sensitization, where nociceptors at the site of injury become hyperactive, and central sensitization, where spinal cord and brain circuits amplify pain signals. Both contribute to chronic pain conditions, even when the original injury has healed.

Sensitization explains phenomena such as hyperalgesia (heightened pain response) and allodynia (pain from non-painful stimuli). It also underlies nociplastic pain syndromes like fibromyalgia. Treatments that reduce sensitization include medications that stabilize nerve activity, psychological therapies to reduce stress-related amplification and neuromodulation techniques such as PRF, which can dampen central excitability.