Why does chronic back pain make everyday sounds feel harsher? Brain imaging study points to a treatable cause

People with chronic back pain process everyday sounds differently, and more intensely, than people without pain, according to new research from the University of Colorado Anschutz. Published in Annals of Neurology, the study is one of the first to tie this sound hypersensitivity to specific, measurable changes in the brain, indicating that chronic back pain affects far more than the back. The research also shows there's an effective treatment that can help.