What causes the skin to hurt when it is touched?

Allodynia describes the condition when skin is painful to the touch, and it can indicate fibromyalgia, neuralgia, neuropathies and migraines. Allodynia presents in three forms: tactile, thermal and movement.

Neuralgia patients may feel intermittent pain on the skin along the nerve pathways, and it is sometimes sharp and stabbing. The same area may also feel numb. Fibromyalgia patients become hypersensitive to sensations, including touch, due to central nervous system sensitization. The same can happen to migraine sufferers. Thermal allodynia occurs when pain is felt due to exposure to hot or cold temperatures, and movement allodynia occurs when pain develops during normal movement of the limbs.