In recent years, the exponential rise of chronic pain is the leading cause of disability and disease burden globally. Worldwide, 1.9 billion people were found to be affected by recurrent tension-type headaches. Furthermore, when measuring years lived with disability, chronic low back and neck pain have consistently been the leading causes of disability internationally. While being such a common issue, why some people are more prone to it and what factors lead to chronic pain are not fully understood. One phenomenon found with chronic pain sufferers is ‘pain wind-up’ which causes a heightened sensitivity to pain due to repeated stimulation, such as with a sharp pin prick. The process is a significant contributor behind many clinical pain disorders. 

In the two-part study, researchers from Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences compared genetic variations from over 1,000 participants to observe if there were any genetic variants more common in individuals who experienced greater pain wind-up. The study was carried out specifically in Colombia due to the mixed ancestry of the population, including; Native Indian, African and European populations.