Massage and the application of liniments to painful areas in the body relieves pain due to
Massage and liniments application causes a tactile stimulus which is transmitted by Aβ fibers which are large myelinated fibers. This causes stimulation of enkephalinergic inhibitory interneurons through the collaterals, thus inhibiting the pain sensation through the spinothalamic tract.
Stimulation of endogenous analgesic system
Release of endorphins by the first order neurons in the brain stem
Release of glutamate and substance P in the spinal cord
Inhibition by large myelinated afferent fibres