Skip to main content

Pain Archive

Articles

Could there be a connection between obesity, depression, and fibromyalgia?

Many people with fibromyalgia also struggle with mood changes and extra weight. Research suggests links, but which comes first remains unclear.

Are fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome linked?

Many people live with both IBS and fibromyalgia, facing gut issues plus ongoing pain and fatigue. Doctors suspect a connection, but it’s not yet clear how the two are linked.

Physical therapy provides modest improvement for chronic low back pain

Sometimes low back pain becomes a chronic problem, lasting more than three months. This can be difficult to treat. A 2026 study of 749 adults with chronic low back pain found that treatment with physical therapy provided modest benefits over cognitive behavioral therapy.

Do we feel pain more at night?

Chronic pain typically fluctuates during the day and some research suggests that it worsens at night, potentially interfering with sleep. If pain keeps you awake at night, trying these strategies may help you sleep better.

When walking makes your legs hurt

There are other conditions besides arthritis that can make walking difficult and even painful, such as peripheral artery disease, chronic venous insufficiency, lumbar spinal stenosis, and diabetic neuropathy.

Study questions the value of wrist splinting for carpal tunnel syndrome

A 2026 study of people with carpal tunnel syndrome found that wearing a rigid wrist splint provided minimal improvement and did not improve symptoms better than wearing a soft bandage for 12 weeks. Rates of surgery within one year were also similar.

Neck pain: Symptoms, causes, & how to relieve it

The cause of most neck pain is strained or sprained muscles, ligaments, and tendons. First-line therapy is rest, ice, heat, pain relievers, and possibly limited use of a neck collar.

Free Healthbeat Signup

Get the latest in health news delivered to your inbox!

Sign Up
Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Thanks for visiting. Don't miss your FREE special health report Living Longer, Living Well!

PLUS, don’t miss out on your 25% off promo code.

Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle—You’ll discover powerful, research- backed strategies for health longevity drawn from Harvard Medical School experts—ways to eat for a longer life, build strength and flexibility to stay independent, protect your bones, heart, and brain as you age, and even cultivate the habits linked with “super-agers” who stay sharp and active well into their 80s and 90s—all delivered to your email box FREE.

Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.

Plus, get a FREE copy of Living Longer, Living Well!.

Harvard Health Publishing Logo

Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.

Plus, get a FREE copy of Living Longer, Living Well.