Bone and Spine News

October 2, 2025

Top Headlines

A Single Dose of Psilocybin May Rewire the Brain for Lasting Relief

Oct. 2, 2025 — Penn researchers found that psilocybin can calm brain circuits tied to pain and mood, easing both physical suffering and emotional distress in animal studies. The compound works in the anterior cingulate cortex, bypassing injury sites and offering a ...

Scientists Uncover How to Block Pain Without Side Effects

Sep. 26, 2025 — Scientists have discovered a way to block pain while still allowing the body’s natural healing to take place. Current painkillers like ibuprofen and aspirin often come with harmful side effects because they shut down both pain and inflammation. ...

Cambridge Scientists Created a Gel That Could End Arthritis Pain

Sep. 25, 2025 — Cambridge scientists have created a breakthrough material that can sense tiny chemical changes in the body, such as the increased acidity during an arthritis flare-up, and release drugs exactly when and where they’re needed. By mimicking cartilage ...

AI Breakthrough Finds Life-saving Insights in Everyday Bloodwork

Sep. 23, 2025 — AI-powered analysis of routine blood tests can reveal hidden patterns that predict recovery and survival after spinal cord injuries. This breakthrough could make life-saving predictions affordable and accessible in hospitals ...

Scientists Discover Microplastics Deep Inside Human Bones

Sep. 19, 2025 — Microplastics have been detected in human blood, brain tissue, and even bones, where they may weaken skeletal structure and accelerate cell aging. Recent studies suggest that these particles could worsen metabolic bone diseases like osteoporosis, a ...

Overworked Neurons Burn Out and Fuel Parkinson’s Disease

Sep. 3, 2025 — Overactivation of dopamine neurons may directly drive their death, explaining why movement-controlling brain cells degenerate in Parkinson’s. Mice with chronically stimulated neurons showed the same selective damage seen in patients, along with ...

Hidden Viruses in Our DNA Could Be Medicine’s Next Big Breakthrough

Sep. 3, 2025 — Scientists have decoded the 3D structure of an ancient viral protein hidden in our DNA. The HERV-K Env protein, found on cancer and autoimmune cells, has a unique shape that could unlock new diagnostics and ...

Rats Walk Again After Breakthrough Spinal Cord Repair with 3D Printing

Aug. 26, 2025 — University of Minnesota researchers developed a 3D-printed scaffold that directs stem cells to grow into functioning nerve cells, successfully restoring movement in rats with severed spinal cords. This promising technique could transform future ...

Is Ketamine the Answer for Chronic Pain? New Findings Cast Doubt

Aug. 18, 2025 — A sweeping review of 67 trials has cast doubt on the use of ketamine and similar NMDA receptor antagonists for chronic pain relief. While ketamine is frequently prescribed off-label for conditions like fibromyalgia and nerve pain, researchers found ...

Breakthrough “Smart” Gel Restores Blood Flow and Heals Diabetic Wounds in Days

Aug. 8, 2025 — A new gel-based treatment could change the way diabetic wounds heal. By combining tiny healing messengers called vesicles with a special hydrogel, scientists have created a dressing that restores ...

Pain Relief Without Pills? VR Nature Scenes Trigger the Brain’s Healing Switch

July 31, 2025 — Stepping into a virtual forest or waterfall scene through VR could be the future of pain management. A new study shows that immersive virtual nature dramatically reduces pain sensitivity almost as ...

How a Hidden Brain Circuit Fuels Fibromyalgia, Migraines, and PTSD

July 10, 2025 — What if your brain is the reason some pain feels unbearable? Scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered a hidden brain circuit that gives pain its emotional punch—essentially transforming ordinary discomfort into lasting misery. This ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:19am EDT

AI-Powered Smart Bandage Heals Wounds 25% Faster

Sep. 24, 2025 — A new wearable device, a-Heal, combines AI, imaging, and bioelectronics to speed up wound recovery. It continuously monitors wounds, diagnoses healing stages, and applies personalized treatments like ...

The Surprising Link Between Hearing Loss, Loneliness, and Lifespan

July 5, 2025 — People who treat hearing loss with hearing aids or cochlear implants regain rich conversations, escape isolation, and may even protect their brains and lifespans—proof that better hearing ...

A Tiny Implant Just Helped Paralyzed Rats Walk Again—is Human Recovery Next?

June 28, 2025 — A groundbreaking study from the University of Auckland and Chalmers University of Technology is offering new hope for spinal cord injury patients. ...

The Molecule That Might Save Your Sight—and Your Heart

June 25, 2025 — Washington University researchers found that raising a molecule called ApoM helps eye cells sweep away harmful cholesterol deposits linked to age-related macular degeneration, potentially preventing ...

USC's New AI Implant Promises Drug-Free Relief for Chronic Pain

June 24, 2025 — A groundbreaking wireless implant promises real-time, personalized pain relief using AI and ultrasound power no batteries, no wires, and no opioids. Designed by USC and UCLA engineers, it reads brain ...

New Discovery: Tylenol Stops Pain at the Nerves, Before It Hits the Brain

June 10, 2025 — Acetaminophen may be doing more than just dulling pain in your brain it could be stopping it before it even starts. Scientists at Hebrew University have discovered that a metabolite of the drug, ...

Being in Nature Can Help People With Chronic Back Pain Manage Their Condition

June 3, 2025 — Researchers asked patients, some of whom had experienced lower back pain for up to 40 years, if being in nature helped them coped better with their ...

Brain Training Game Offers New Hope for Drug-Free Pain Management

June 3, 2025 — A trial of an interactive game that trains people to alter their brain waves has shown promise as a treatment for nerve pain -- offering hope for a new generation of drug-free ...

Could 'Pausing' Cell Death Be the Final Frontier in Medicine on Earth and Beyond?

May 30, 2025 — The process of necrosis, a form of cell death, may represent one of the most promising ways to change the course of human aging, disease and even ...

Potential to Prevent and Treat a Common Type of Inflammatory Arthritis Advanced by the Identification of New Genetic Links

May 30, 2025 — Researchers have discovered two genes, RNF144B and ENPP1, that cause calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) disease in Americans of European and ...

PREVENT Equation Accurately Estimated 10-Year CVD Risk and Those With Calcium Buildup

May 21, 2025 — A new risk calculator accurately identified participants who had calcium buildup in their heart arteries and those who had a higher future heart attack risk, in an analysis of about 7,000 adults in ...

Scientists Design Gene Delivery Systems for Cells in the Brain and Spinal Cord

May 21, 2025 — Research teams have created a versatile set of gene delivery systems that can reach different neural cell types in the human brain and spinal cord with exceptional accuracy. These delivery systems ...

Clinical Trial Shows Improvements for Spinal Cord Injuries

May 21, 2025 — Researchers demonstrated unprecedented rates of recovery for spinal cord injuries. Individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury safely received a combination of stimulation of a nerve in the neck ...

Technique Rapidly Measures Cells' Density, Reflecting Health and Developmental State

May 20, 2025 — MIT researchers found a way to measure cell density quickly and accurately -- measuring up to 30,000 cells in a single hour. They also showed density changes could be used to make useful predictions, ...

Why Some Viral Infections Appear to Trigger Autoimmune Disease

May 20, 2025 — By studying Chikungunya virus, scientists shed light on how immune responses to viral infections may lead to persistent symptoms of autoimmune ...

Depression Linked to Physical Pain Years Later

May 20, 2025 — Middle-aged and older adults who experience pain are more likely to have had worsening symptoms of depression up to eight years before the pain began, according to a new ...

Experimental Painkiller Could Outsmart Opioids -- Without the High

May 19, 2025 — A breakthrough drug from Duke University, SBI-810, promises strong pain relief without the pitfalls of opioids. Unlike traditional painkillers that trigger multiple brain pathways—and often ...

Relieve Your Pain With a Psychologist or an App

May 16, 2025 — Psychological treatment can relieve pain. New research now shows what happens in the brain -- and what specific treatments psychologists, doctors and patients can turn ...

How Rearranged Genes Drive Kidney Cancer Progression

May 15, 2025 — Scientists report that they have learned how certain combinations of rearranged genes can promote the progression of a rare type of kidney ...

Scientists Discover New Way the Brain Learns

May 14, 2025 — Neuroscientists have discovered that the brain uses a dual system for learning through trial and error. This is the first time a second learning system has been identified, which could help explain ...

New Chronic Pain Therapy Retrains the Brain to Process Emotions

May 6, 2025 — Researchers have created an effective therapy for chronic pain that reduces pain intensity by focusing on emotional ...

New Machine Algorithm Could Identify Cardiovascular Risk at the Click of a Button

Apr. 29, 2025 — An automated machine learning program has been able to identify potential cardiovascular incidents or fall and fracture risks based on bone density scans taken during routine clinical ...

Brain Decoder Controls Spinal Cord Stimulation

Apr. 28, 2025 — A lab develops brain wave decoder that may help in spinal cord injury ...

A Repurposed Anti-Inflammatory Drug May Help Treat Alcohol Use Disorder and Related Pain

Apr. 22, 2025 — A preclinical study finds that a drug already FDA-approved for treating inflammatory conditions may help reduce both alcohol intake and pain sensitivity -- two issues that commonly co-occur with ...

Drugs Targeting 'Zombie Cells' Show Promise for Treating Chronic Back Pain

Apr. 22, 2025 — In a preclinical study, two drugs targeting 'zombie cells' have been shown to treat the underlying cause of chronic low back pain. The condition affects millions of people worldwide. ...

Building 'Cellular Bridges' for Spinal Cord Repair After Injury

Apr. 21, 2025 — Capitalizing on the flexibility of tiny cells inside the body's smallest blood vessels may be a powerful spinal cord repair strategy, new research ...

Cerebral Palsy Medications Given to Adults May Not Match Needs

Apr. 17, 2025 — Some medications are seen as a 'fix-all' solution, not addressing the root ...

Golden Eyes: How Gold Nanoparticles May One Day Help to Restore People's Vision

Apr. 16, 2025 — A team of researchers has identified a promising new approach that may one day help to restore vision in people affected by macular degeneration and other retinal ...

Intravascular Imaging Can Improve Outcomes for Complex Stenting Procedures in Patients With High-Risk Calcified Coronary Artery Disease

Apr. 15, 2025 — A new study could lead to more widespread use of imaging technique to improve survival and prevent ...

Are High Support Bras Bad for the Back?

Apr. 15, 2025 — Researchers uncover how over-reducing breast motion in bras could increase back pain during ...