Tag

Chronic Pain

All articles tagged with #chronic pain

medicine8 days ago•8 min saved

Melatonin May Help Ease Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

A meta-analysis of 23 randomized trials including 2,028 patients with chronic musculoskeletal conditions found melatonin reduced pain intensity by about 9 points on a 100-point scale and improved sleep quality. Doses ranged 3–10 mg (commonly 3 mg) taken at bedtime, with safety similar to placebo and mostly mild side effects like nausea, dizziness, or headaches. The researchers caution melatonin should complement—not replace—standard treatments and advise discussing use with a doctor, especially when other meds or health conditions are involved.

via Sci.News|

#chronic-pain #medicine #melatonin

business24 days ago•2 min saved

Lilly Acquires 4E Therapeutics to Fast-Track Non-Opioid Pain Therapy

Eli Lilly has acquired Austin-based 4E Therapeutics to advance a non-opioid pain program that targets the MNK-eIF4E signaling pathway in peripheral sensory neurons. 4E’s lead MNK inhibitor 4ET1103 showed favorable Phase 1 safety, and Lilly will integrate 4E’s neuroscience capabilities into its broader pain portfolio. Terms were not disclosed.

via PR Newswire|

#4e-therapeutics #business #chronic-pain

health-and-wellness27 days ago•19 min saved

ADHD tied to chronic pain and a spectrum of health risks

A Washington Post Well+Being piece reports that ADHD is linked with a range of health issues beyond core symptoms, including anxiety, disordered eating, migraines, and long COVID, with chronic pain highlighted as part of the broader comorbidity picture; findings underscore the need for holistic screening and further research into shared mechanisms.

via The Washington Post|

#adhd #anxiety #chronic-pain

health29 days ago•2 min saved

Chronic Lyme patients grapple with long-term symptoms and scarce treatment options

Elizabeth Nelson, 30, of West Bath, Maine, has endured post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome for more than half her life, facing fatigue, nausea, joint pain and balance issues, highlighting the ongoing challenges and gaps in care for people with chronic Lyme symptoms.

via Portland Press Herald - Maine Sunday Telegram|

#chronic-pain #fatigue #health

health1 month ago•50 min saved

My GLP-1 Weight-Loss Journey: Real Benefits, Private Choices

An autoimmune-disease patient shares her first-person experience with GLP-1 weight‑loss drugs (Wegovy), describing rapid energy gains, reduced pain, and improved mobility within weeks, while pushing back against stigma and hype and stressing the importance of private, informed medical decisions and ongoing study of GLP-1s for autoimmune conditions.

via BuzzFeed|

#autoimmune-disease #chronic-pain #glp-1

health1 month ago•10 min saved

Decades of pelvic pain finally explained by a tropical parasite

After more than 100 doctors over decades, Andy L.’s constant pelvic and perineal pain was finally explained by a rectal biopsy showing a granuloma and antibodies confirming urogenital schistosomiasis from a Tanzania trip decades earlier. Misdiagnoses—from Peyronie’s disease to psychosomatic explanations—gave way to the diagnosis, and praziquantel treatment lowered antibodies and eased symptoms, though eggs left in tissue can cause ongoing problems. He’s now raising awareness of this neglected tropical disease that mostly affects Africa.

via The Washington Post|

#chronic-pain #health #misdiagnosis

health-and-medicine1 month ago•6 min saved

Nerve Pain Could Be Eased by Recharging Neurons with Fresh Mitochondria

Duke University researchers showed that damaged nerves can be revived by transferring healthy mitochondria from glial cells to sensory neurons, significantly reducing pain in models of diabetic and chemotherapy-induced neuropathy and suggesting a new way to treat chronic pain at its source. More studies are required to understand the mechanism and validate this approach in humans.

via ScienceDaily|

#chronic-pain #diabetic-neuropathy #glial-cells

science1 month ago•8 min saved

Brain-vagus Link May Explain Why Pain Persists After Injury

A new line of chronic-pain research points to a brain region, the caudal granular insular cortex, and the vagus nerve as key players in whether pain fades after an injury or becomes long-lasting; blocking the pathway early in animals prevents chronic pain, while later intervention can ease established pain. The work emphasizes that pain is not just tissue damage but an active nervous-system state influenced by brain circuits, inflammation, and interoceptive signaling, with taVNS emerging as a potential tool in specific clinical contexts—but findings are preliminary and condition-specific.

via Space Daily|

#brain #chronic-pain #inflammation

health2 months ago•36 min saved

Tramadol’s limited relief vs. rising risks prompt a rethink of its use for chronic pain

A BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine review analyzed 19 randomized trials (6,506 participants) and found tramadol provides only modest, likely non-meaningful relief for chronic pain while doubling the risk of harm versus placebo—predominantly heart-related events—with common side effects such as nausea, dizziness, and constipation. Many included studies carried biases that may overstate benefits and understate harms; a questionable signal for cancer risk was noted due to short follow-up. Overall, the potential harms appear to outweigh the limited benefits, underscoring a need to rethink tramadol’s role in chronic-pain care amid broader opioid concerns.

via Earth.com|

#adverse-effects #cardiovascular-risk #chronic-pain

science2 months ago•7 min saved

Brain Circuit May Turn Off Chronic Pain, Study Suggests

Researchers identified a tiny brain region called the caudal granular insular cortex (CGIC) that acts as a switch determining whether pain fades or becomes chronic. In animal experiments, silencing this pathway prevented chronic pain from forming and could even erase it after onset by interrupting signals to the somatosensory cortex and spinal cord. The findings suggest targeted brain-cell interventions or brain-machine interfaces as potential, opioid-sparing treatments, though applicability to humans remains to be studied.

via ScienceDaily|

#brain-machine-interfaces #caudal-granular-insular-cortex #chronic-pain

science-and-health2 months ago•23 min saved

ADHD symptoms tied to greater chronic pain severity in Japan study

A nationwide study of 958 chronic-pain patients at pain centers across Japan found ADHD symptoms are significantly associated with more severe pain, suggesting addressing ADHD symptoms could help ease chronic pain; the findings were published in Scientific Reports and led by Satoshi Kasahara of the University of Tokyo.

via The Japan Times|

#adhd #chronic-pain #japan

science2 months ago•7 min saved

Brain Switch in the Hippocampus Dictates Pain-Related Depression Risk

Large-scale brain imaging and animal studies show chronic pain gradually reshapes the hippocampus; early adaptations (larger volume and higher activity) correlate with resilience, while later changes include reduced hippocampal volume, disrupted activity, and cognitive decline that accompany depression. A dentate gyrus–microglia interaction appears to be a key switch from adaptive to maladaptive responses, and reducing hippocampal inflammation in animals improved depression-like symptoms, suggesting early anti-inflammatory treatment could help prevent pain-induced depression.

via SciTechDaily|

#chronic-pain #depression #hippocampus

science3 months ago•7 min saved

Researchers identify dedicated brain circuit fueling chronic pain

Stanford researchers mapped a previously unknown brain circuit that specifically drives chronic pain after injury. Turning off this circuit stopped exaggerated responses to gentle touch in mice and reduced chronic pain without affecting acute pain, while activating it induced lasting pain sensitivity. The circuit forms a loop from the spinal cord through the thalamus, cortex, and brainstem back to the spinal cord, suggesting two separate networks for chronic and protective acute pain and pointing to targeted therapies that block chronic pain signals while preserving normal pain responses; human data is being explored to confirm applicability in people.

via SciTechDaily|

#acute-pain #brain-circuit #chronic-pain

science3 months ago•6 min saved

Hippocampus Changes Explain Why Chronic Pain Fuels Depression

A large neuroimaging study shows chronic pain progressively reshapes the hippocampus: early adaptive increases in dentate gyrus activity give way to abnormal microglial activation and hippocampal shrinkage, linked to cognitive decline and depression across various pain types. Animal data suggest minocycline can dampen this process and preserve hippocampal structure; meanwhile, lifestyle factors and mindfulness may boost hippocampal volume and reduce depression risk, implying early, targeted treatment of pain could prevent depressive outcomes.

via ScienceAlert|

#chronic-pain #depression #hippocampus

health3 months ago•37 min saved

Chronic back pain may heighten sensitivity to unpleasant sounds, study finds

A study published in Annals of Neurology found that people with chronic back pain rate unpleasant sounds more intensely and show stronger activity in auditory and emotion-processing brain regions than pain-free individuals. The findings suggest a broader, multi-sensory amplification linked to chronic pain, possibly via a shared brain mechanism. Pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) produced modest improvements in pain and reduced unpleasantness of low-intensity sounds, but the evidence isn’t yet robust, and researchers call for more work to understand if this hypersensitivity extends to other senses and to confirm causality.

via Yahoo|

#back-pain #chronic-pain #health