In war, soldiers who lose an arm sometimes experience pain in the area that the arm was lost, even after the war ends. This can be seen as a deeply ingrained and tragic memory of the senselessness of war. Research into this pain is progressing. The symptoms related to remembered pain and subjective pain are about to be clarified. It is gradually becoming clear that the pain center is the periaqueductal gray matter. The activity of this gray matter can now be visualized using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging). The mechanism of the periaqueductal gray matter is being captured by fMRI, and its relationship to subjective pain is becoming clearer. When this gray matter is inactive, no pain occurs. If pain does not occur when the gray matter is inactive, then a treatment or medication that suppresses gray matter activity would be a godsend for patients experiencing subjective pain.
The reality is that the number of seniors who experience knee or lower back pain when moving is increasing as they live longer. “One of the most common diseases that causes knee pain is osteoarthritis of the knee. The number of people with osteoarthritis of the knee, including those who do not experience pain, is estimated to be around 30 million. This number is far greater than the estimated 18 million people with diabetes, including those at risk. Looking further afield, the number of people suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee has increased to 390 million worldwide as of 2023, 2.3 times the number 30 years ago. “Osteoarthritis of the knee” is often caused by obesity, which leads to wear and tear of the cartilage in the knee joint. Treatment for this condition includes hyaluronic acid injections to relieve pain and surgery to implant an artificial joint. In some cases, artificial joints may require re-surgery to replace them after about 10 years. Knee cartilage cannot regenerate naturally. Currently, there is much hope in regenerative medicine that can restore tissue.” The use of regenerative medicine technology, which utilizes the function of cells, to treat knee pain and injuries is accelerating.
The spread of regenerative medicine is driven by a sharp increase in the number of patients experiencing knee pain, particularly osteoarthritis of the knee. This increase is mainly attributed to aging and rising obesity rates. Meanwhile, regenerative medicine, a new treatment method, can compensate for the shortcomings of hyaluronic acid injections and artificial joints. This regenerative medicine involves culturing the patient’s own cartilage. Cell products made from these cultured and processed cells are already being sold to patients with knee injuries. This company has announced that it will also launch a product for osteoarthritis of the knee from January 2026. However, even if knee pain disappears with regenerative medicine, if proper walking habits are not adopted, the pain may return. While regenerative medicine is important, strengthening your daily walking habits is equally crucial.
