What it means
Nerves from an internal organ and from an area of skin or muscle can enter the spinal cord at the same level, so the brain reads the organ's pain as coming from that surface area. Well-known examples: heart pain felt in the left arm or jaw, gallbladder pain felt in the right shoulder, and gas or blood under the diaphragm felt in the shoulder.
For the nurse
Ask the client to point to where it hurts and whether the pain spreads; pain in an unexpected place may come from an organ elsewhere, so report it rather than assume a muscle cause.
Related terms
myocardial infarction
Death of part of the heart muscle because its blood supply is blocked; a heart attack.