What works for stubborn aches, pains, and injuries?
And what doesn’t? And why? PainScience.com explores the surprisingly weird science of many kinds of chronic pain and injury, from fibromyalgia to runner’s knee. The site is a library of a couple hundred deep-dive articles for both patients and healthcare professionals, informal but heavily referenced and constantly updated for 20 years. Like it says on the tin, there’s a pro-science bias here, and quackery is kicked to the curb. More.
Why the salamander? More mascot than logo, the salamander’s astonishing regenerative biology is a symbol of healing. More.
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What hurts? The most popular guides to specific conditions
- When to Worry About Neck Pain … and when not to! — Tips, checklists, and non-scary possible explanations for neck pain.
- A Deep Dive into Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness — The biology & treatment of the “muscle fever” that follows intense exercise.
- The Complete Guide to IT Band Syndrome — Everything you could possibly want to know about the most common type of runner’s knee.
- 6 Main Causes of Morning Back Pain — Why is back pain worst first thing in the morning?
- A Rational Guide to Fibromyalgia — All about the mysterious disease of pain, exhaustion, and mental fog.
- Cramps, Spasms, Tremors & Twitches — The biology and treatment of unwanted muscle contractions.
- Complete Guide to Frozen Shoulder — Exploring one of the strangest of all common musculoskeletal conditions.
- INDEX of 52 CONDITION GUIDES
What works? The most popular treatment reviews
- Quite a Stretch — The most popular form of therapeutic exercise… has few actual benefits.
- Does Epsom Salt Work? — The science and mythology of Epsom salt bathing as a tonic for pain & injury.
- Trigger Point Therapy — All about the strange therapeutic art of… pressing on sore spots?
- Strength Training Frequency — Strength training is surprisingly efficient, good medicine.
- The Chiropractic Controversies — A tour of far too many chiropractic controversies.
- Does Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection Work? — Nope. The first popular “regenerative” therapy is bogus.
- Zapped! Does TENS work for pain? — Electrical stimulation is perpetually popular, which is weird.
- See also compilations of the most proven pain treatments, as well as a much wider range of more speculative options (but still safer and more plausible).
- INDEX of 92 TREATMENT REVIEWS
Yes, but why? Articles about key concepts and principles of pain
- Pain is Weird — Pain is trickster, a volatile and misleading sensation.
- Your Back Is Not Out of Alignment — Debunking the obsession with alignment and biomechanics.
- MRI Worse than Useless for Back Pain — The legacy of the false alarm machines!
- Is Running on Pavement Risky? — Hard-surface running might be a risk factor for running injuries. It’s surprising hard to tell.
- Sensitization — Pain can change how pain works… and never for the better.
- INDEX of 55 ARTICLES ABOUT CONCEPTS
The blog & newsletter: pain science news, highlights, and musings
The PainScience.com blog is the “director’s commentary” for the site.
- Apr 25: Block and burn for backs and necks bombs a big test, doctors bluster
- Apr 21: Futile non-surgical options
- Apr 15: Fighting a lost battle
- Apr 12: Is chronic pain a lifestyle problem?
- Apr 8: Anticonvulsants break hips
- INDEX of 1238 POSTS
What’s new? Article updates
A steady stream of content improvements and corrections are all logged, like on Wikipedia.
- Apr 25: neck pain +Major science update, blocking/burning treatments — After years of underwhelming and mixed evidence, a new 2025 review has concluded that spinal injections and nerve ablations are collectively very unimpressive … and the doctors have responded with demands for retraction of the evidence. It’s not a good look.
The Complete Guide to Neck Pain & Cricks - Apr 25: low back pain +Major science update, blocking/burning treatments — After years of underwhelming and mixed evidence, a new 2025 review has concluded that spinal injections and nerve ablations are collectively very unimpressive … and the doctors have responded with demands for retraction of the evidence. It’s not a good look.
The Complete Guide to Low Back Pain - Apr 23: mind over pain +Modernization, intro — This article's introduction just got its first ever change of tune, reflecting my escalating doubts that mind-over-pain is possible, and concerns about the science that idea is allegedly based on.
Mind Over Pain - Apr 22: insurance is not evidence +This article just got its first-ever substantive update. After being largely ignored for years, suddenly it seemed obvious that more could and should be written — and so it was. A small update relative to others on the site, but big for this little article. In particular, I wanted to point out that insurers are motivated by the relative bargain of paying many ineffective treatments.
Insurance Is Not Evidence - Apr 12: non-specific vulnerability +Added a new section, “Is chronic pain a lifestyle problem?”
Vulnerability to Chronic Pain - INDEX of MANY MORE UPDATES
You’ve got a lot of reading to do! Sorry it’s all here on the computer …
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