To Treat Some Pain, Rest may be the Better Medicine

Getting rest may be as effective as taking medication
To Treat Some Pain, Rest may be the Better Medicine

Getting rest may be as effective as taking medicine for the relief from some pain or from some musculoskeletal disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome and low back pain,

which caused by repeated strain activities.

In a study conducted on rats, researchers found that a four week period of rest is as effective or stress relief as this relief is done from or get from any drug.

"Rest appears to be a good first treatment choice," said Amanda White, a postdoctoral fellow at Temple University in the US.

Other treatments which related to rest includes exercises to improve tissues and relief from the pain or any pain disorder .and like if symptoms do not subside or strength does not come back than suggestions of any pharmacological needed.

The researchers trained rats to repeatedly pull a lever in order to model the types of repetitive-strain injuries humans experience.

After 12 weeks, the rats showed a weaker grip strength, discomfort and increased collagen production in the forearm — evidence of strain-induced tissue damage.

The researchers then allowed the rats to rest for four weeks. During this rest period, one group of rats received an experimental drug that blocks a neurotransmitter, Substance P, which is associated with the sensation of pain, while the other group did not.

"We found that the four-week rest treatment reduced collagen production, improved strength and decreased discomfort," said White.

"The drug blocking Substance P signaling also had similar effects, and was somewhat better at improving grip strength, but at the same time made the animals less sensitive to very hot temperatures, which is concerning. And like for this rest is the better option to treated from this all kind of things. This led us to conclude that rest may be the better treatment," she said.

There appears, however, to be a tipping point at which rest is not sufficient and medications are needed, researchers said.

while a study found that the stress is much more important for recovering from the moderate strain activity, it indicated in previous studies.

In investigating the Substance P-blocking agent and other drugs, the researchers are focused on developing ways to help the tissue actually recover from overuse-induced injury, not just relieve pain.

In previous experiments the researchers tried giving the rats ibuprofen and other pain relievers while they were performing the lever-pulling task; however, this seemed to only mask the pain while allowing the rats to continue to pull hard, worsening the tissue damage.

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