# Non-damaging pain **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 11, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974 "2010-08-11T20:35:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/21 "2010-08-12T19:24:40Z")
Can you _cause_ kidney stones? Never had 'em, but folks say they hurt. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/22 "2010-08-12T19:36:23Z")
While its not exactly “painful”, severe vertigo is ungodly unpleasant. And I don’t think you can imagine it till you have had it. Its been triggered in me twice by run of the mill pain killers. So, I think you could induce it without any real damage (at least in some people like me). Put it this way. If it was a permanent or even frequently occuring condition I’d consider suicide. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/23 "2010-08-12T20:09:59Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > The Gom Jabbar. 🙂 Nice. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/24 "2010-08-12T22:25:38Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > . . . Capsaicin, similarly, can be very mild or very intense, depending on the dosage and the delivery. An ordinary jalepeno has enough capsaicin to produce mild burning on the tongue, but won’t do anything through your skin. . . . My hands disagree. If I ever chop jalepenos again, it will be with gloves. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/25 "2010-08-12T22:36:00Z")
Theoretically, pain is just an electric signal of a certain frequency (or something) sent through your nervous system. Directly interfacing into the nervous system should allow someone to cause the maximum possible amount of pain, without doing the slightest bit of damage. Whether that’s currently possible or not, I have no idea. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/26 "2010-08-12T22:42:06Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Theoretically, pain is just an electric signal of a certain frequency (or something) sent through your nervous system. Directly interfacing into the nervous system should allow someone to cause the maximum possible amount of pain, without doing the slightest bit of damage. That’s what [Kzanol](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Ptavvs) thought. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/27 "2010-08-13T01:30:20Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > The Gom Jabbar. Damn, thought I could be all clever. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/28 "2010-08-13T03:54:14Z")
Quoth **Yllaria** : > [@](#): > > My hands disagree. If I ever chop jalepenos again, it will be with gloves. Are you sure it’s jalapenos you’re thinking of? I’ve never heard of anyone getting a skin (as opposed to mucous membrane) reaction from them. Now, the really hot peppers like habaneros will cause pain to skin, but they’re about a hundred times stronger than jalapenos. ---
**Author:** ![Khaki\_Campbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Khaki\_Campbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khaki_Campbell)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974/29 "2010-08-13T08:28:33Z")
Depends on the kind of skin, too. On mucous surfaces (like the glans), those hot peppers are “quite” painful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-damaging-pain/549974.md?page=1)