Re-examining how we treat pain.
The standard treatment for pain, especially back pain, has traditionally been anti-inflammatories and steroids; but could that be the wrong approach? A study from McGill University suggests that inflammation is a normal part of the healing process and that hindering the inflammatory process may lead to hard-to-treat pain. Should providers re-evaluate how they treat back pain?
This Medscape article How We Treat Acute Pain Could Be Wrong reviews a paper published in Science Translational Medicine in which scientists found that neutrophils played a key role in whether acute pain went away or became chronic. When patients use anti-inflammatories, neutrophils are blocked, and the pain can continue long-term. Senior study author Jeffrey Mogil, PhD, states, "You should not be blocking inflammation. You should be letting inflammation happen. That's what stops chronic pain."
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