Painfully Paradoxical But Effective

Chronic pain is a lasting onset of pain that can originate from anywhere in the body, brain, or even spinal cord. This symptom is difficult to treat as many different forms of aid are administered but are not always successful in mediating this discomfort. Non-opioid type medicines and cognitive psychological supports are usually applied before any other form of medicine. However, opioid drugs such as codeine, morphine, and hydrocodone, are stronger substances that have shown the most powerful results in treating chronic pain. Unfortunately with these powerful results, patients are often at risk of opioid-induced hyperalgesia.

Opioid-induced hyperalgesia is a nociceptive sensitization state that actually is paradoxical in its onset. This irony means that a patient is usually receiving a type of opioid to treat pain but in return, causes the patient to become more sensitive to pain. In Dr. Folabomi Oladosu’s research, “The Role of Mu Opioid Splice Variances in Opioid-Induced Pain”, her and her colleagues were able to identify an opioid receptor that is in correlation with opioid-induced hyperalgesia. MOR-1K levels are in proportional relation to the onset of hyperalgesia. Decreased levels in gene expression show an analgesic response versus increased levels which present a hyperalgesic outcome.   

In a 2004 study, Dr. Moore and associates evaluated the effectiveness of topically applied capsaicin for chronic pain caused by neuropathic or musculoskeletal disorders. Capsaicin is actually an ingredient found in cayenne peppers. This is often synthesized into a cream for arthritic type of pain. In application, patients may feel a burning or tingling sensation, but that gradually decreases over the time of using the treatment. From Dr. Moore’s study, the cream showed poor to moderate efficacy in chronic neuropathic and musculoskeletal pain, but should still be used as an adjunct for patients.

Tiger balm has also been known to be an application for muscle and joint pain. However, it has been seen to be used for headaches and migraines as well. The point of Tiger balm’s heating and cooling effect is to actually distract the brain from the pain. So how much does this effectively trick the neurological senses? In Schaltner and Randerson’s study on Tiger balm’s effectiveness on acute tension headache, they found that Tiger balm and regular medication were not significantly different (p > 0.05) in treatment, but Tiger balm was significantly more effective than the placebo (p < 0.05).  This showed that Tiger balm had just as much alleviating effect on headaches as regular medication. Although this may not be ideal for a chronic pain treatment, tiger balm seems to also be a valid adjunct for pain.

With all types of treatment for pain, research has been able to reveal the major effects of each drug on a genetic level. Along with Oladosu’s research and others, the push for a promising chronic pain treatment with little to no side effects has been incited. What’s the point of pain relief if a person is more sensitive after relieving the initial pain? Hopefully, with medical advances and testing, chronic pain can either be prevented and/or treated more properly.

Cited Works:

D, Schattner. "Tiger Balm As A Treatment Of Tension Headache. A Clinical Trial In General Practice. - Pubmed - NCBI." Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Dec. 2017.

Mason, L. "Systematic Review Of Topical Capsaicin For The Treatment Of Chronic Pain." N.p., 2017. Print.

Oladosu, Folabomi A. et al. "Mu Opioid Splice Variant MOR-1K Contributes To The Development Of Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia." N.p., 2017. Print.