Abstract
SUMMARY Chronic musculoskeletal pain, defined as pain lasting beyond the usual healing time of 6 weeks to 3 months, is a very common condition. It adversely affects the quality of life of patients and has a significant economic impact on our society. There is an ever increasing understanding of the pathophysiology of chronic pain. This has resulted in the effective use of various medications aimed at modulating both central and peripheral sensitizations. There are also new agents being developed based on fundamental research. The pharmacological agents used in the modulation of central nociception in chronic musculoskeletal pain are reviewed in this article.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.