Researchers have identified a bone-driven signaling pathway that may explain how spinal degeneration leads to chronic pain.
Low back pain (LBP) ranks among the most widespread health conditions across the globe. It affects people at every stage of life and creates a significant strain on healthcare systems. For many individuals, the pain becomes long-lasting, disrupting sleep, limiting mobility, and reducing quality of life. In most cases, however, physicians are unable to pinpoint a specific structural problem, which makes effective long-term treatment difficult.
Research published in the journal Bone Research points to a possible new approach. The study suggests that a hormone-based therapy could ease chronic back pain by preventing abnormal growth of pain-related nerves within damaged areas of the spine. Led by Dr. Janet L. Crane of the Center for Musculoskeletal Research in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the United States, the work sheds light on how bone cells may play an unexpected role in regulating pain during spinal degeneration.
“During spinal degeneration, pain-sensing nerves grow into regions where they normally do not exist. Our findings show that parathyroid hormone can reverse this process by activating natural signals that push these nerves away,” says Dr. Crane.
Parathyroid Hormone and Spinal Degeneration
Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is naturally produced by the parathyroid glands and is essential for controlling calcium balance and maintaining healthy bone turnover. Manufactured versions of PTH are already prescribed to treat osteoporosis. Earlier research hinted that these therapies might also reduce pain linked to bone damage, but the underlying biological explanation had not been fully understood.
