Using anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids to relieve pain could increase the chances of developing chronic pain, according to researchers from McGill University and colleagues in Italy. Their research puts into question conventional practices used to alleviate pain. Normal recovery from a painful injury involves inflammation and blocking that inflammation with drugs could lead to harder-to-treat pain.

“For many decades it’s been standard medical practice to treat pain with anti-inflammatory drugs. But we found that this short-term fix could lead to longer-term problems,” says Jeffrey Mogil, a Professor in the Department of Psychology at McGill University and E. P. Taylor Chair in Pain Studies.

Please consider first using natural and effective treatments for pain, such as acupuncture, so the development of chronic pain can be prevented.

https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/channels/news/discovery-reveals-blocking-inflammation-may-lead-chronic-pain-339532
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.abj9954

#acupuncture #pain #chronicpain #research