There is a lot of research conducted for pain management. Some research is focused on reducing the pain from chronic conditions, like arthritis. Other researchers work to find new ways to reduce pain for people who’ve undergone surgery or had an accident.
This research is especially important given the dangers of many painkilling medications. Painkiller addiction is a serious problem, and medical research is trying to find ways to relieve pain without endangering a patient.
What is Pain?
Pain is a natural response to injury. We feel pain because it is our body telling us to stop doing what we are doing. It is our body communicating to us that something is wrong, and that something needs to change.
Your body has a system where pain receptors are stimulated when something harmful happens to your body, releasing a chemical that travels to the spinal cord and up to the brain.
What’s the Difference Between Chronic Pain and Acute Pain?
Acute pain is short-term, like what you’ll experience after some kind of accident. An example would be dropping something on your foot or accidentally cutting yourself in the kitchen.
Chronic pain is persistent and generally caused by some kind of chronic condition. One major source of chronic pain is arthritis, which comes in multiple varieties and affects millions of Americans. Fibromyalgia is another source of chronic pain. Back problems, such as a herniated disc, result in chronic pain for many people.
Because chronic pain can have such a detrimental affect on quality of life, much research is directed towards decreasing chronic pain levels.
One danger of chronic pain is that it can change pain processing in our bodies. It can make us more sensitive to pain. You may feel pain more intensely than those who don’t have a chronic, pain-causing condition.
How Do Clinical Researchers Find Solutions to Pain?
Clinical researchers work to find medicines and treatments that alleviate pain. Researchers work to understand the chemical processes of pain and try to develop medications that can influence that process in a healthy way.
Learn more about current enrolling clinical trials.
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