If you have bumped your elbow against a table, you probably have instinctively massaged your elbow to reduce the pain. But why do you feel less pain when you rub it? And speaking of rubbing, why do many people tend to get short-term pain relief after a massage session?

Could being overweight increase the risk of having chronic pain? Some researchers think so. A 2025 study published in The Journal of Pain found that people ages 50 and up with chronic pain have also experienced “greater discrimination than people without pain in a community-based sample.”  The researchers wrote that

A 2022 study of 5,871 people in England found those with pain “are more likely to report discrimination than those without pain, and this experience is associated with increased depression and loneliness.” This population with perceived discrimination predicts “greater depressive symptoms and loneliness over 6-year follow-up,” the researchers wrote. Scott

Does having perceived discrimination increase the risk of chronic pain? Some researchers think so. Perceived discrimination is a person’s subjective experience of unfair treatment or negative attitudes based on their ethnicity, race, gender, age, body size, disability, and other characteristics. Discrimination is also defined as “process by which a member,

Whether it’s cardio or strength training, exercise has been shown to have moderate short-term to long-term effects for chronic low back pain. (Photo by Airman First Class John D. Partlow)Key takeaways Chronic low back pain stems from multiple causes, including biological, psychological, societal, and environmental factors.  The current body of