Journal of Pain Research

Pain in Space: a Journey of Discovery

As humanity extends its reach beyond Earth's boundaries, understanding the impact of microgravity on pain perception and its underlying mechanisms becomes paramount. This unique opportunity beckons for ground-breaking research to shed light on an unexplored realm. The microgravity environment of space challenges human physiology across multiple systems, including the musculoskeletal, immune, and nervous systems. Recent studies have unveiled the distressing reality of pain experienced by astronauts during and after spaceflight. Back and neck pain afflict a significant majority of astronauts during their time in microgravity, with implications extending beyond their return to Earth. Primordial studies highlight startling parallels between space-induced musculoskeletal changes and terrestrial back pain. However, the interactions between microgravity-induced bone resorption, sensitization to thermal stimuli, and the intricate relationship between pain and cellular senescence pose intriguing challenges.