Seeing One's Own Painful Hand Positioned in the Contralateral Space Reduces Subjective Reports of Pain and Modulates Laser Evoked Potentials

We found that nociceptive stimuli delivered to the hand in a crossed-arms position evoke less pain than in a canonical anatomic position. Yet we report no significant analgesic effect of vision or crossing the arms on their own. These findings foster the integration of visuospatial and proprioceptive information in rehabilitation protocols.