A Chronic Pain Marker Might Have Been Discovered
Recently, a research article was published showing that an objective chronic pain marker might be under development. Chronic pain is one of the most pressing issues facing the healthcare system today. There are millions of people who struggle with chronic pain. It is also one of the most common reasons why people seek disability benefits. One of the challenges that come with treating chronic pain is a lack of an objective way to measure how much pain someone is feeling. This makes it hard for doctors to make medical decisions regarding pain management. Now, it appears that an objective chronic pain marker might be on the horizon.
If this research makes its way to the clinical setting, it might change the way doctors treat chronic pain. This may provide hope to millions of people who previously might not have had any options for chronic pain treatment.
Looking for Regions of the Brain Responsible for Pain
The brain is responsible for both sending motor commands to the rest of the body and for receiving sensory signals from various cells and tissues. Some of these signals include temperature, pressure, and pain. Therefore, researchers have been trying to find a way to measure the amount of pain that the brain is sensing. Researchers believe they might have found an answer.
Researchers now believe they can measure the flow of blood to certain areas of the brain that sense pain. If scientists are able to see greater blood flow to certain areas of the brain, they might be able to quantify someone’s pain. This can help doctors make important treatment decisions regarding chronic pain.
A Research Study Unveils a Pain Marker
A team of researchers collected data on close to 75 people. About 60 percent of these patients had been diagnosed with chronic pain stemming from prior injuries or arthritis. The remaining individuals acted as healthy controls who did not have chronic pain. The researchers collected an MRI of the brain on all of these patients. The MRI gathered information on blood flow throughout the patient’s brain.
The researchers first discovered that they were able to correctly identify which patients suffered from chronic pain based on their brain MRI alone. The researchers also uncovered 19 different regions of the brain that experienced accelerated blood flow due to chronic pain. On the other hand, the scientists also found more than 30 brain regions that had less blood flow due to chronic pain.
Moving Forward with Chronic Pain Diagnosis and Treatment
This study shows that blood flow throughout the brain might be able to guide doctors who are treating patients who suffer from chronic pain. In the future, these brain imaging scans might be able to not only diagnose chronic pain but also help doctors quantify the amount of pain that someone is feeling. Furthermore, instead of treating someone’s pain, future medical options might actually target these regions of the brain, helping bring rapid pain relief to people who desperately need it. This pain marker research has the potential to change the way that medical professionals evaluate and treat chronic pain.
Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. This pain marker might change the way medical professionals treat chronic pain. If your loved one is having issues with an injury due to the negligence of another person or entity, please reach out to me at (800) 404-5400 and/or (916) 921-6400 to receive free, friendly legal guidance and advice.
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