Breakthrough in Chronic Pain Relief Just Ahead?

In late 2015, a very big breakthrough came about in the world of pain management. It's so big, in fact, that a whole new method for treating pain could be just a few years away!

University College London scientists made this discovery by examining people with a rare condition which inhibits them from feeling any pain sensation at all. The scientists that discovered that some "channels" in the nervous system (particularly channel Nav1.7) conduct the sensation of pain to the brain. Persons who are deficient in Nav1.7 channels are the rare folks who cannot experience pain.

At this point, the focus of the research is to develop drugs that block the transmission of the pain signal along the Nav1.7 channel. There are a few drugs currently in development, but the effect of the current drugs is weak. Development of a drug with the appropriate potency could eliminate the need for opioids, or at least greatly reduce it. While opioids are effective, the addiction potential is high and using them for chronic pain conditions is controversial.

You can read the original post about this exciting development here.

Sources: Western Daily Press; Pixabay

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