Visceral pain is much more difficult to stimulate than other types of pain, such as pain in the fingertips, which have the highest density of nociceptors. Visceral pain comes from the internal organs in the abdominal cavity; some have many nociceptors to feel pain (such as the stomach) and some do not (such as the liver). Generally speaking, nerves carrying pain signals from the internal organs have more specific and diverse criteria for activation than do skin nociceptors. And these do not respond to all stimuli the way other parts of the body do. The viscera generally don't respond to cutting, for example, but do register pain from stretching or compression. Visceral pain may also be felt in places other than the affected organ, a phenomenon known as referred pain.
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