Is Chronic Pain Inherited?

October 22, 2014 / Thomas Cohn, MD

A new study out of Norway suggests that children of parents who have chronic musculoskeletal pain have a higher risk for developing similar pain. The study started in 1984 and used health surveys to determine if age, sex or other factors contributed to musculoskeletal pain. The findings suggest that children of parents with pain had a 20-40 percent increased risk of developing similar pain. Specific genetic variables and environmental factors were not isolated, but the important conclusion is there is a relationship between parents with pain and a subsequent occurrence in their children.

As a practitioner in pain, this study has several implications. Pain and the subsequent behaviors often do run in families. Parents can easily model behavior such that children learn the same strategies in coping with adverse events. The behaviors learned are sometimes good, but also can be maladaptive. If parents tend to complain and do not take responsibility for their actions, children often show the same behavior. Genetics also play a role, and psychological problems such as depression, which has a high correlation to pain, also has a high genetic component. Many diseases correlated to pain like rheumatoid arthritis and some aspects of osteoarthritis have genetic components.

Parents often have an influence on good and bad health habits in their children, such as diet, exercise or if the child becomes a smoker. A lack of exercise often contributes to pain and increased incident of injuries due to a lack of muscle condition. Obesity is positively linked to chronic pain, and the eating habits of parents are often taught to their children and they are at an increased risk of becoming obese. Smoking is also positively linked to pain, and parents who smoke often have children who smoke.

Whether the link between parents and children and both having pain is due to genetic or environmental factors is unclear. Both genetic and environmental factors likely play a role, but to what extent is unknown. Some pain is probably genetic, but a lot of pain could be a result of negative learned health behaviors. The long and short of it is, make healthy choices for yourself and for your children.

Theramine and Chronic Pain Prevention

October 15, 2014 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Thermaine is a relatively new drug that is being used to treat chronic pain, typically in individuals suffering from low back pain. Theramine is a proprietary formulation of neurotransmitters, amino acids, antioxidants, neuromodulators, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory peptides, whey protein, and adenosinsine antagonists.

It is a trademarked formulation of compounds and considered a food supplement. It was designed to be used to treat a variety of pain syndromes, including acute and chronic pain. Each ingredient in the capsule was determined based on its ability to modulate an aspect of the sensory processes involved with pain signals. It is meant to moderate the effects of inflammation on the pain response. All of the ingredients that make up the compound have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

A recent article in the American Journal of Therapeutics suggested that Theramine was more effective than low dose ibuprofen for chronic low back pain. It was found to effective in decreasing both pain and inflammation in chronic low back pain sufferers. Part of the theory about why this supplement is helpful because it is thought that the chemicals present help restore certain compounds that are depleted or not present in individuals suffering form chronic pain.

It’s effectiveness means that the product is not cheap. A simple online search reveals that a one month supply costs over $300. If one has money to spare, it may be a safe consideration. It appears to be safe, with reasonable science behind its development. For a greater look into Theramine and its inner workings, check out this website.

Playing Through The Pain: A Doctor’s Prospective

October 13, 2014August 25, 2016 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Recently, the Star Tribune published an article on professional athletes playing through pain. The article discussed whether the Vikings quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, was not tough enough since he and the team elected not to play him against the Packers, four days after he suffered an ankle strain. The article also discussed how other athletes never missed a game due to injury. Furthermore, it basically said , if you are going to be a professional athlete, you need to play through pain.

Stupidity is playing while you are acutely injured to tell others you are tough. Pain is the way the body tells a person that they have an acute injury. Tissue damage stimulates the sensory fibers and initiates the body’s response to injury. Inflammation occurs, and then blood flow to the area increases in order too bring cells to clear the damage and initiate the healing process. Continuing to stress damaged tissue will usually only weaken the area or cause further injury. In an acute pain injury, protecting the region from further damage reduces the pain and allows quicker and more complete healing. The culture of toughness would be considered just stupidity from a medical viewpoint.

Professional athletes tend to have short careers in sports due to the fact that they tend to overstress areas of the body, causing permanent damage and reducing their abilities. Tiger Woods now is on the down side of his career due to back and leg injuries. Most football players do not play long into their 30’s due to injury. The NFL now has major lawsuits regarding concussion and head trauma. Many professional athletes have severely degenerated joints, back and neck issues from repetitive trauma, and now have chronic pain issues.

Acute pain is the signal from the body that there is tissue damage. Treating acute pain is doing the right stuff medically to allow the injury to properly heal. Chronic pain is not due to acute tissue damage and inflammation, but is an abnormal response to signals from previously healed damage. Rest is great for an acute injury but not for chronic pain. Activity can take your mind off the pain, release endorphins to act as natural pain relievers, and help build strength in affected areas. Activity in areas of chronic pain will decrease the pain in most cases. Working through chronic pain is tough, but it actually decreases pain signals and improves function.

Headaches, Nutrition, Neuroglycopenia and Children

October 6, 2014August 25, 2016 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Neuroglycopenia is categorized as low blood glucose levels in the brain. Recently I was asked if children can have headaches due to inadequate nutrition and a neuroglycopenia. Children have a different susceptibility to low blood sugar than adults. Most people do not get low blood sugars if they have sufficient calorie intake. Many substances can be converted to glucose for the brain to maintain normal function, and that is a protective mechanism of the neurologic system. Low blood sugar levels in the brain can be manifested in a number of ways, including behavioral changes, headaches, and even seizures or loss of consciousness.

In a Google search on this topic, only one article was found; The Journal of Pediatrics in 1994 wrote that children can have behavioral changes related to low blood sugars and the possible affect on the brain. Low and high blood sugars due to nutrition in children probably occur regularly, and they can affect behavior and may be linked to headaches. Neuroglycopenia occurs when there is a severely low blood sugar level in the brain, and is generally linked to low blood glucose. Furthermore, this condition is linked mostly to diabetes and high insulin levels, and not to general nutrition.

Children can have headaches due to a number of reasons. Nutrition and sugar intake can definitely cause difficulties with headaches in some children. Headaches can be caused from problems such as poor vision, lack of sleep, psychological problems and stress. If headaches are frequent, then the child needs to be seen by a pediatrician, and possibly by a neurologist. Sudden severe new headaches need to be seen immediately at a hospital as an emergency.

Poor nutrition in children can lead to behavior problems, hyperactivity and headaches. The meal programs for breakfast and lunches in our schools partially grew out of awareness of the necessity of good nutrition in the ability of children to adequately learn. Severe low blood glucose in the brain, i.e. neuroglycopenia, is not necessary to be the cause of headaches. If the child is a diabetic, neuroglycopenia may be occurring and can cause headaches. Children without diabetes are unlikely to have nutritional issues so severe to cause low brain glucose and headaches. If a child is having headaches, the first stop is the child’s pediatrician.

Age and Professional Sports

September 29, 2014August 25, 2016 / Thomas Cohn, MD

The prime of our lives is in our 20s. During the decade of time from age 20 to 30 years of age, our bodies and brains become fully mature. We are at our peak performance both physically and mentally. The body is the most flexible and heals quickly from minor trauma. Mentally, the brain becomes mature and can perform at a high level. For most sports, the best athletes are at their prime when the body reaches physical maturity. The length of time at a prime level is often about ten years. After that time, the body starts showing signs of wear and tear.

Professional athletes stress their bodies to the extreme on a daily basis to maximize training for their sport. Most are a bit sore every day from the hours of training and stressing of the muscles and joints. In general, the level of exercise completed is usually a bit beyond what the body was meant to endure. Structures of the body slowly start wearing out. Multiple injuries often start occurring, and it takes longer and longer for the person to return to full health.

The good news is that most of us our not professional athletes, so we are not dependent on an extreme level of activity for our livelihood. The bad news is we still are wearing out our bodies over time, but just not as fast as most athletes. Activity keeps us healthy as long as we do not overexert our bodies. Doing strength training keeps muscles strong and bones healthy. Aerobic conditioning is necessary to maintain good cardiovascular health. Being normal weight for our height keeps us from stressing the body structure as a whole. The average body starts to show signs of wear and tear in our 40s and 50s.

Historically, the body was designed to get us to about age fifty. In centuries past, before modern medicine and the industrial revolution, death often came by age fifty due to trauma, disease, or other natural causes. Now, we have learned to survive into our late seventies or eighties. As we grow older, age affects every organ including the muscles, tendons, joints and bones. The degeneration often causes aches and pains as we try to compensate for the changes that are occurring.

As I’ve said before, your body is like a car. A new car is beautiful and performs well with very little maintenance. As the car gets older, it takes more and more care to keep it running smoothly. If it is not maintained, it will likely fall apart. If we drive it hard and beat it up, it will fall apart sooner. If we baby it, it will become a precious antique. The body is not much different. We last longer and stay healthier if we take care of our body. Doing the work to keep healthy is beneficial to live a happy life.