Scientists Find a Way to Reverse Chronic Pain Without Opioids—Here's What It Means for You

More than 50 million Americans live with chronic pain daily, and many—especially women—find that current medications simply don't work. Now, scientists at Virginia Tech have made a breakthrough that could transform treatment for millions: they've discovered how to reverse established chronic pain by targeting a specific biological pathway in the body, without relying on opioids.

What Type of Pain Can This New Treatment Address?

The research focuses on a particularly difficult-to-treat category called nociplastic pain. Unlike pain caused by visible injuries or inflammation, nociplastic pain stems from changes in how the nervous system processes pain signals. This means traditional anti-inflammatory drugs like NSAIDs don't help, leaving patients frustrated and often with no options beyond opioids, which carry addiction risks.

Conditions that fall into this nociplastic pain category include:

• Fibromyalgia: A chronic condition causing widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue that affects millions of Americans.
• Chronic back pain: Long-lasting lower or upper back discomfort that doesn't respond to standard pain medications.
• Certain migraines: Headaches driven by nervous system dysfunction rather than inflammation or injury.

How Did Scientists Reverse the Pain?

Neuroscientist Ann Gregus and her team at Virginia Tech published their findings in the journal Pain, demonstrating something remarkable: they could erase well-established pain behaviors by blocking an enzyme system that produces molecules intensifying pain signals. The breakthrough came partly by accident. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when lab supplies were limited, researchers switched to a different strain of female mice that naturally developed stronger and longer-lasting pain responses—a fortunate discovery that provided a better model for studying chronic pain.

Using an immune challenge to simulate chronic pain in mice, the team waited until the animals showed clear signs of pain. Then they administered compounds developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that block specific parts of the enzyme system. The results were striking: pain sensitivity disappeared and muscle strength returned.

What makes this discovery especially significant is that it didn't just prevent pain from developing—it reversed pain that was already present. This more closely mirrors the real-life experience of patients who have suffered for years, making it far more clinically relevant than treatments that only stop new pain from forming.

When Could This Treatment Be Available to Patients?

One of the compounds tested in the Virginia Tech study is already being evaluated in human trials for another disease, meaning it could potentially be fast-tracked for chronic pain treatment if clinical trials prove successful. This accelerated pathway offers hope that relief could reach patients sooner than typical drug development timelines.

Gregus, who has personally experienced migraines and nerve pain, brings deep motivation to this work. "I know what it's like to live with pain every day and be told there's nothing else that can be done," she shared. Her lab is now investigating whether the same treatment approach could help patients suffering from chemotherapy-induced pain or diabetes-related pain—conditions affecting millions of people worldwide and often leading to lifelong discomfort.

The ultimate goal is to develop a therapy that doesn't simply mask pain symptoms, but actually reverses the underlying biological mechanisms causing the pain. For patients who have heard "there's nothing more we can do," this discovery represents a genuine shift toward real and lasting relief without the risks associated with opioid medications.