In the quest to suppress pain, are we blocking our bodys own ability to heal? Thats one of the key questions explored at recent scientific meetings, including theInternational Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) World Congress on Pain, which I attended in September, and theInteragency Pain Research Coordinating Committee (IPRCC) meetinga few weeks ago, where I serve as chair.

While the discussions at both meetings were wide ranging, the conversations on the relationship between pain and healing were especially compelling. At both meetings, attendees heard from Luda Diatchenko, M.D., Ph.D., of McGill University. During her talks at bothIASPandIPRCC, she presented provocative findings from her research on the connection between the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) and chronic pain after an injury. Herresearch, leveraging data from UK Biobank, found that the risk of acute pain turning into chronic pain increases when NSAIDs are used in the acute stage.