In Brief: Challenging previous notions about inflammation and pain, scientists found that a robust initial inflammatory response appears to protect against chronic pain rather than contribute to it.
The findings suggest that suppressing inflammation to treat acute musculoskeletal pain may be counterproductive for long-term pain relief. Many of us have felt the ache of a thrown-out back or a sore jaw that makes chewing difficult. This pain, though sometimes agonizing, usually resolves on its own and is referred to as acute pain. But in some cases, acute pain becomes chronic and persists for months or years, and scientists don’t entirely understand why….