No one likes being in pain, but chronic pain is one of the most prevalent issues that our older loved ones grapple with. There are ways of relieving symptoms, but very little has been accomplished when it comes to getting to the root of pain and reducing its impact.
The Mount Sinai School of Medicine is helping to illuminate more information about how the human body responds to chronic pain. According to their research, the protein RGS4 plays a prominent role when it comes to maintenance of pain over the long term. They found that when the body transitions from a state of acute (short term) to chronic (pathological) pain, there are a number of changes that occur within the body. These include immune system, glial, and neuronal cells. RGS4 seems to have a role in catalyzing these changes.
RGS4 is a protein found in the pain and helps to facilitate the changes. It serves many functions within the brain, which makes sense because pain is a complex thing. In a mouse model, researchers found that preventing RGS4 levels in the brain disrupted chronic pain. In other words, by limiting the amount of RGS4 that the mouse brain was producing, pain levels dropped. It’s a huge breakthrough when it comes to helping elderly family members reduce their pain symptoms.
Unfortunately, there is still a lot that is not understood here. Although scientists have a better understanding that this change takes place na how it does so, there’s still very little known about why it happens or how to interfere with the process to eliminate some of the pain that is felt. The good news is that the state of chronic pain looks like it can be interrupted at the molecular level. In the past, focus has been given primarily to alleviating symptoms, such as with the use of opioids and other painkillers. As we have learned, this is not the safest method of treatment. In fact, this research points to the fact that single-focus drugs are not likely to alleviate pain because it is much more complex than what was originally thought.
Pain is unpleasant, and chronic pain can be incredibly difficult to deal with. It’s never easy to watch someone that you love suffer from pain, either. The good news that is coming from this study is that we are learning more about pain and that means that more effective ways of dealing with it are on the way. Opioids can be effective at managing pain, but they bring negatives along with them. This study puts doctors one step closer to learning how to manage pain well without putting people in danger. There’s still a long way to go, but it’s a step forward in the right direction.
If you have a loved one dealing with chronic pain, effective senior care is probably at the top of your list when it comes to helping them. If that is something that you’re looking at, we can help you get pointed toward the best resources. Please feel free to reach out to us for more information.
Leave a Reply