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In class this week, we learned something about the structure of nerves.  Nerves are a bundle of axons, cell bodies and dendrites are absent.  They carry signals from one location in the nervous system to another in the body.  These signals can travel in both directions along nerves.  Next, I began thinking about what can go wrong with nerves.  Particularly how to make sense of a herniated disk.  A herniated disk occurs when the spinal disk slips out of place and pushes against spinal nerves.  This situation results in a significant amount of pain, amongst other things.   So the pain is a symptom of an anatomical problem. What I would like to know about all this is how do pain medications work?  Especially, drugs like vicodin and percoset.   How do these chemicals interact with the nervous system and affect signaling?  I am hoping for an explanation beyond basic biochemistry...