This is term used to denote pain interpreted as arising from an area which is not, in fact, the site of the trouble. For example, pressure on the roots of origin of C5 and C6 can give pain which is referred to their dermatomes, myotomes and sclerotomes. The patient will complain of pain over the deltoid area, lateral aspect of forearm and over the radial side of the hand. He may complain of deep pain over the scapula, lateral aspect of humerus, radius and over the bones of the thumb. The site of this problem is, in this case, in the cervical region but the patient suspects disease or injury where he feels the pain.
This type of referred pain is often called root pain. Referred pain does not always relate to surface structures but may also relate to viscera. For example, in cardiac disease pain may be referred to the left shoulder. It is well known that pain in the otherwise normal…
