Chronic Pain

A new study has found that eating a better-quality diet was directly associated with a reduction in chronic pain severity, regardless of body fat. The findings suggest that upping diet quality could be an affordable and effective way to manage pain.

Common ivy is better known as a garden invader or a rather attractive indoor plant that's prone to triggering allergies. Now, for the first time, it's been found to be very effective in blocking pain signals – by instead invading a key pain receptor.

Researchers have flipped the script on the usual approach to pain relief in a new study, demonstrating that a short course of non-invasive brain stimulation before a painful event such as surgery can prevent the development of chronic pain.

A peptide hormone produced in the brain that triggers physiological changes in reproduction has been 'hacked' to create an effective, safe and non-invasive way to treat chronic gut pain. Scientists are calling it an entirely new class of painkiller.

Researchers have developed a non-addictive painkiller that remains inactive until it reaches sites of chronic pain. Instead of dulling the nerves that send the pain signals like other analgesics, this new pain pill directly addresses the underlying cause.

Insect venom may seem like an unlikely ally in the discovery of new human pain treatments, but the latest findings into the "unique" way a small ant causes us such agony is a big leap forward – and one that's expected to progress rapidly.

In the first study of its kind, excess abdominal fat has been associated with chronic pain, but the good news is that losing weight that can reduce waistlines could help relieve widespread musculoskeletal conditions and greatly improve quality of life.

New research has found that mindfulness meditation reduces pain by engaging a distinct brain pathway from the pathway activated by a placebo. The standalone analgesic effect that mindfulness produces could be leveraged to help people living with painful conditions.

Two innovative new developments have demonstrated that degraded cartilage can be regrown, first with 'dancing molecules' that target the protein needed for tissue regeneration, secondly with a hybrid biomaterial that stimulates cartilage growth.

In a fascinating discovery, scientists have pinpointed just what happens in our brains when we're expecting pain relief but are unknowingly given a placebo. It reveals just how powerful the mind is in moderating physiological responses such as pain.

For the first time, researchers have shown how a simple walking plan can deliver significant, long-lasting relief from recurring lower back pain. Until now, this common-sense activity has been seen as a something to include in treatment, not focus on.

A new oral analgesic without the health risks associated with existing pain relievers has been proven safe. According to the drug’s developers, it could revolutionize pain management, especially for those with hard-to-treat conditions like nerve pain.

It feels like back pain comes for many of us at some point in our lives, and it’s tricky to treat. A new gene therapy, which repairs damaged discs and reduces pain, has shown promise in mouse tests.

Obstructive sleep apnea hugely impacts health and well-being, but as those with the condition know, treatment is very limited. Now, a new nasal spray has shown promise in alleviating the symptoms of the most common sleep-related breathing disorder.

A drug currently used as a second- or third-line treatment for those with rheumatoid arthritis has shown huge promise as a preventative, stopping the onset of the debilitating and painful disease in 92.8% of at-risk participants after 12 months.