Why does severe pain cause vomiting?

Feeling nausea or vomiting are known to be common side effects of severe pain. But, why?

To answer this question, research was conducted on surgical patients as they will likely be feeling pain at any given time. Studies revealed that patients experienced both pain and nausea after their surgical procedures.

Results of the research study also revealed that when the pain was treated the nausea stopped. This signified to researchers that there could be a strong correlation. However, it was challenging to “pin-point” the exact mechanism that ties pain to nausea. Even though vomiting itself has some clear cut mechanism, the exact pathways implicated in nausea has not been understood.