Have you ever watched a TV show where someone who’s having a heart attack grabs his left arm or shoulder? Have you ever had a stabbing pain in your forehead or the bridge of your nose after eating ice cream too quickly? With a heart attack, the source of the pain is in the person’s chest. With a brain freeze, the source of the pain is in the roof of your mouth.

Referred pain occurs because the body’s sensory nerves occasionally send signals in the wrong direction. The following examples commonly occur in children:

• When children complain of mouth, cheek or tooth pain, they sometimes have an ear infection.
• When children complain of ear pain, they sometimes have a throat or lymph node infection in their neck.
• When children complain of knee pain, they sometimes have a problem in their hip or testicle.
• When children complain of low back pain, they sometimes have constipation.
• When children complain of stomach pain in the middle of the night, they sometimes have a pinworm infection.