A recent study stated that inflammation is a normal element of recuperating from a painful injury and that suppressing or impeding inflammation may result in persistent pain that is more difficult to cure. Hence the risk of developing chronic pain might be enhanced by using steroids and anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 25% of individuals in the United States experienced low back pain in the previous three months, therefore experts were looking into the source of this. On analyzing the blood samples of persons who were cured of the lower back pain researchers revealed that they had substantial inflammation driven by neutrophils a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight infection.

They discovered that inhibiting neutrophils in rat models increased pain ten times and administering anti-inflammatory agents and steroids also prolonged the pain.

Another study including over 500,000 participants in the United Kingdom revealed similar outcomes. Anti-inflammatory medicines were found to increase the likelihood of pain 2 to 10 years later in persons who used these drugs.

The study was published in Science Translational Medicine and suggested that reconsideration was necessary about pain treatment and more clinical trials on humans to confirm the same.