**The use of anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids to relieve pain may increase the risk of chronic pain, according to researchers at McGill University and Italy. Their research questions the traditional practice of pain relief. The normal recovery of painful injury involves inflammation, and blocking this inflammation with drugs may lead to more difficult pain to treat.
"Treating pain with anti-inflammatory drugs has been standard medical practice for decades. But we found that this short-term repair can lead to longer-term problems," said Jeffrey mogil, Professor of psychology at McGill University and chairman of pain research E.P. Taylor.
The difference between improved and not improved people
In a study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, researchers examined the mechanisms of pain in humans and mice. They found that neutrophils - white blood cells that help the body fight infection - play a key role in relieving pain.
"When analyzing the genes of people with lower back pain, we observed that the genes of people with pain disappeared changed positively over time. Changes in blood cells and their activity seem to be the most important factor, especially in cells called neutrophils," said Luda diatchenko, a professor in the Department of medicine and School of Dentistry at McGill University, who is also the distinguished research chairman of human pain genetics in Canada.
Inflammation plays a key role in relieving pain
"Neutrophils dominate in the early stages of inflammation and provide conditions for the repair of tissue damage." Professor mogil said: "inflammation occurs for a reason and it seems dangerous to interfere with it." He and Professor diatchenko are also members of the Allen Edwards pain research center.
In the experiment, the researchers blocked neutrophils in mice and prolonged the pain time to ten times the normal time. Treatment of pain with anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids such as dexamethasone and diclofenac produced the same results, although they were effective for pain at an early stage.
The findings were also supported by a separate analysis of 500000 people in the UK, which showed that those who took anti-inflammatory drugs to treat pain were more likely to experience pain after two to ten years, an effect not seen in those who took acetaminophen or antidepressants.
Reconsider standard medical practices for acute pain
"Our findings suggest that it may be time to reconsider the way we treat acute pain. Fortunately, pain can be eliminated by other ways that do not involve interfering with inflammation," said Massimo Allegri, a doctor at Policlinico, Monza hospital, Italy and ensemble Hospitalier de la cote, Switzerland.
"Our study found that pain relief is actually a positive biological process. These findings should be followed up through clinical trials to directly compare anti-inflammatory drugs with other painkillers that relieve pain but do not destroy inflammation," Professor diatchenko said
The study was published in Science Translational Medicine 》In the magazine.