Chronic

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.

A head-mounted ultrasound device has now completed two human trials. One showed how the targeted sound waves could improve pain symptoms, while another revealed a marked improvement in depression symptoms after just one session.

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.

Damage to knee cartilage and bone can limit mobility and cause chronic pain. Now, researchers have developed an off-the-shelf synthetic ‘plug’ that heals the joint and could be an alternative to current treatments like total knee replacement surgery.

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.

Researchers discovered a non-opioid compound that effectively reduced hypersensitivity associated with nerve pain caused by diabetes or chemotherapy drugs, opening the door to a drug to treat the condition for which existing painkillers do little.

Researchers have used FDA-approved cancer drugs to regenerate pancreatic cells damaged by diabetes into cells that secrete insulin in response to glucose. The discovery could mean that one day, diabetics can avoid multiple daily insulin injections.

Throughout 2023, researchers have looked at pain, especially chronic pain, and its molecular mechanisms, in an effort to find new, targeted ways to effectively resolve the complex condition. We present this year’s top discoveries in pain research.

A study has found that exposure to childhood trauma increases the likelihood of experiencing chronic pain and pain-related disability in adulthood, with the risk increasing significantly after exposure to multiple adverse childhood experiences.

In big news for the millions who suffer from chronic lower back pain due to degraded disks, scientists have made a potentially huge breakthrough in understanding its cause at a microscopic level, paving the way for effective cell therapy to relieve it.