Unlocking pain’s mysteries has potential for better treatments

In a study, scientists describe the development of a new technique, which they tested in rats, that could result in better ways to relieve pain and monitor healing. Sandip Biswal, Frederick T. Chin, Justin Du Bois and colleagues note that current ways to diagnose pain basically involve asking the patient if something hurts. These subjective […]

In a study, scientists describe the development of a new technique, which they tested in rats, that could result in better ways to relieve pain and monitor healing.
Sandip Biswal, Frederick T. Chin, Justin Du Bois and colleagues note that current ways to diagnose pain basically involve asking the patient if something hurts.
These subjective approaches are fraught with bias and can lead doctors in the wrong direction if a patient doesn’t want to talk about the pain or can’t communicate well.
It can also be difficult to tell how well a treatment is really working.
No existing method can measure pain intensity objectively or help physicians pinpoint the exact location of the pain.