Bone hormone could curb chronic back pain by repelling pain nerves, Hopkins study finds
Johns Hopkins researchers in Bone Research found that parathyroid hormone, already used for osteoporosis, may prevent and reverse growth of pain-sensing nerves into damaged spinal regions by triggering Slit3, a protein that repels nerve fibers; in animal models, 1–2 months of PTH treatment produced denser vertebral endplates and reduced aberrant innervation, suggesting a potential disease-modifying approach for spinal degeneration, though human trials and safety considerations remain.
