Björn Gerdle, physician and professor of rehabilitation medicine and pain management at Linköping University. He conducts research on chronic pain in shoulders and shoulders. NOTE – This article is machine translated from Swedish.
There are many of us who had pain in neck, shoulders and shoulders — but for some people the pain would never give way. What is happening inside the molvärkande muscle tissue? A research team in Linköping to determine if there are changes in the muscles which perpetuates the pain.
— By prolonged muscle pain, there are chemical changes in the muscles that contribute to the patient’s pain. We have been able to see, says Björn Gerdle, physician and professor of rehabilitation medicine and pain management at Linköping University.
He and the six others in the research team chose to study pain in the debt party, trapezius, for it is a good model muscle, easy to access when they are going to do measurements and many people suffer from chronic pain in this muscle.
— Are there changes in muscle metabolism during prolonged pain? There is an increased amount of-inducing substances in muscles? These are questions we want to find the answers to. When we understand the mechanisms that generate the long-term pain, and how much of it taking place in the muscles, you can hopefully tailor new therapies, says Björn Gerdle.
How is it possible to see into the muscles at the molecular level? The researchers can download materials from patients ‘ kappmuskel by adding a trådsmal catheter which picks up fluid in minimal quantities. This fluid can then analyze in laboratory. The technology is called microdialysis.
Pain studies of pain has been going on for several years, first studying the how muscle activation of the nervous system and looked at tissue samples under a microscope.
— The result of which we, together with researchers in Denmark developed this analysis technology and now we are going to build a laboratory in order to extend the biochemical studies. The entire allocation of one million dollars from Lai Research Foundation goes to the operations, says Björn Gerdle and continues:
— So far we have most looked at which substances that cause pain. For example, serotonin and glutamate found in elevated levels in the painful muscles. Now we want to look at topics in muscles that counteract and inhibit pain in humans. The research is quite new, we know very little about the mechanisms of the human body. Can we find something else than what was done in animal testing? Our patients can describe how the pain feels, how intense it is, and if, for example, is aching, stabbing or scurrying.
Björn Gerdle items many with pain problems, then he also is Director of the Pain and rehabilitation centre in Linköping, Östergötland County Council Östergötland specialized clinic for severe smärtillstånd with operations at three hospitals.
— It is a great advantage for our research to work closely with the clinic and its patients. Many are interested and willing to be test subjects with the attitude: “If my pain can help improve care, then I like to up”.
Most of the patients in the study belong to occupational groups with the monotonous and highly repetitive tasks, such as cleaners and assembly workers. Computer users are also a big group, as well as those with whiplash injuries.
Common is that pain affects their lives and work.
A lot of problems are preventable, if you start on time. When the pain has established itself, it is difficult to get rid of. So you have to know what the risk factors are, for example, stress and mental strain has a great importance and not just those repetitive movements.
— If I speculate on the long term, our technology may be used purely clinical and help pain patients to proper treatment.
Björn Gerdle sees it as a great privilege in life to get to have an exciting job.
What do you do for yourself to avoid pain in shoulder party, you will be constantly reminded of the risks?
— Yes, now comes the difficult issue, laughing bear and urskuldar with that he also is human, that it is one thing to know intellectually what it takes yet another to do so in practice.
— But I refrain from tobacco and is very moderate in alcohol. I’m trying to run and do gymnastics and not sitting too long in one position in front of the computer, which is difficult when I become engrossed in what I do.
The clock will soon turn nine this Tuesday morning and Björn Gerdle awaits a meeting with management at the Faculty of medicine in Linkoping. Since he is home, the weekly commute between Lund and Linköping, and proceed to Barcelona on a few days of vacation. It looks he forward.
Text: Monica Havström