# Perceiving pain alters body perception: the effects of acute pain on body image and sensory testing

## TL;DR

The study shows that acute pain can distort how people perceive their body, especially in terms of body image and emotional factors.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that acute pain affects body image through perceptual and emotional mechanisms, not basic sensory processing.

## Key findings

- Participants with acute pain showed significant body image distortion during the testing phase.
- Painful body parts were perceived as larger, especially on the right side.
- Sensory processing remained unchanged, indicating intact sensory function.

## Abstract

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text.

Acute pain can distort body image, suggesting that distorted body image is more closely related to perceptual and emotional factors than to sensory changes.

This study investigated the effects of experimentally induced acute pain on body image and sensory testing. A total of 91 pain-free participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: injection (pain), sham injection, or control. Measures were taken 3 times in each group: at baseline, during the testing phase, and once the pain had subsided. The study included both sensory testing and body image measures. Participants in the injection group showed significant increases in body image distortion during the testing phase (P < 0.001, η2 = 0.19), alongside larger area of pain distribution (P < 0.001, η2 = 0.40) and greater size distortion of the lower back (P < 0.001, η2 = 0.14) compared with the other groups. A drawing task further revealed that the painful body part was perceived as larger (P = 0.01, η2 = 0.14), particularly on the right side. Body esteem indicated a subtle but significant decrease in body satisfaction during pain (P = 0.05, η2 = 0.06). Sensory testing measures remained unchanged, suggesting intact sensory processing. Correlation analyses showed positive associations between Polish version of the Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire scores and perceived pain area, pain intensity, pain catastrophizing, and general fear. These findings highlight the selective influence of acute pain on body image, suggesting that perceptual and emotional factors—driven by higher-order mechanisms play a central role in pain-related body distortions rather than changes in basic sensory processing.