Testosterone therapy may help improve pain in men with low testosterone. (2013)
From the article:
Previous animal research has demonstrated that castration of rodents is associated with increased pain perception while testosterone replacement reduces pain perception, suggesting an analgesic effect of this sex steroid. Whether these beneficial effects can be replicated in humans, however, remained unclear.
In this study, investigators found that, compared to placebo, testosterone therapy significantly improved pain perception and tolerance [in men] during laboratory pain testing. Testosterone therapy also improved some aspects of quality of life.
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“If larger studies confirm these findings, testosterone therapy in this patient population may be beneficial in improving pain perception,” Basaria said.
The study included 84 men ages 18-64 years old with opioid-induced testosterone deficiency. Their average age was 49 years.