Chronic musculoskeletal pain and nutrition: Where are we and where are we heading?

This narrative review published in 2020 outlines the current knowledge on the interaction between nutrition and chronic musculoskeletal pain, focusing on different underlying mechanisms such as inflammation, obesity, homeostatic balance, and central sensitization. Elma et al. also informs us how nutritional behavior interventions and dietary assessments can be utilized in clinical practice for patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Poor diet can be an underlying factor in chronic musculoskeletal pain and can often predict this type of pain. The current literature suggests that diet quality and dietary behavior can affect pain conditions, although the direction of this effect has not been confirmed. We require supplementary human nutrition studies that analyze specific musculoskeletal pain conditions and the underlying pathologies. [NPID: pain, chronic musculoskeletal pain, chronic pain, inflammation, obesity, homeostatic balance]

Year: 2020

Reference: Elma, Ö., Yilmaz, S. T., Deliens, T., Clarys, P., Nijs, J., Coppieters, I., Polli, A., & Malfliet, A. (2020). Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain and Nutrition: Where Are We and Where Are We Heading?. PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation, 12(12), 1268–1278. https://doi.org/10.1002/pmrj.12346

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