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Updated: Oct 30, 2025

Author Spotlight: Methodologies and Advancements of Chronic Pain Management Research
Published on: January 5, 2024
Utilization of Magnesium for the Treatment of Chronic Pain
Ivan Urits1,2, Jai Won Jung3, Ariunzaya Amgalan3
1LSU Health Shreveport, Department of Anesthesiology, Shreveport, LA, USA.
Context:
The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines chronic pain as pain that persists or recurs for longer than 3 months. Chronic pain has a significant global disease burden with profound effects on health, quality of life, and socioeconomic costs.
Evidence Acquisition:
Narrative review.
Results:
There are several treatment options, including pharmacological therapy, physical rehabilitation, psychological therapies, and surgical interventions, for chronic pain management. Magnesium has been FDA-approved for several indications including hypomagnesemia, arrhythmia, prevention of seizures in eclampsia/preeclampsia, and constipation. Magnesium has been used for numerous off-label uses, notably for acute and chronic pain management. The mechanism of magnesium in pain management is primarily through its action as a voltage-gated antagonist of NMDA receptors, which are involved in pain transduction.
Conclusions:
This narrative review will focus on the current evidence and data surrounding the utilization of magnesium as a treatment option for chronic pain.
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