Preventing Pain Requires Translating Biology into Social Change

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a frequent cotraveller with chronic pain [1,2]. Beyond epidemiological studies, however, investigation into mechanistic links between these conditions have been lacking in both number and appropriate design. It is logical to examine the role of a sensitized central nervous system as a biomarker of this putative link. Previous studies, however, have not utilized a model of deep muscle pain, likely necessary to activate both A-delta and C fibers [2] which may be required for an ecologically valid test of central sensitization. The small but elegant psychophysiological study by Moeller-Bertram in this issue of Pain Medicine suggests that veterans who have been exposed to combat and are living with PTSD may have a unique physiology which increases their risk for developing chronic pain [3]. The main observations of the study include: 1) no differences in sensory …