Asaf (Klaf) Weisman
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asafklaf.bsky.social
Asaf (Klaf) Weisman
@asafklaf.bsky.social
1.1K followers 3.1K following 180 posts
PhD candidate at Tel-Aviv University. I am a researcher of the spine and people experiencing pain. I am also an MSK Physiotherapist. Follow me for the neuroscience of pain, spine, and health issues.

Blog: https://painlosophy.wordpress.com/
Posts Replies Media Videos
asafklaf.bsky.social
💥Interesting new study indicates that multilevel abnormalities in Lumbar MRI correlate with an inflammatory phenotype of low back pain.

#painresearch #neuroskyence #physio

Open access: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Association between MRI findings and inflammatory symptoms in non-specific chronic low back pain - European Spine Journal
European Spine Journal - Non-specific chronic low back pain (nsCLBP) likely constitutes a heterogeneous group of conditions, and identifying an inflammatory phenotype may improve treatment...
link.springer.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:24 AM
asafklaf.bsky.social
This new prospective study followed 108 individuals with acute low back pain. Their immune profiles predicted transition from acute to chronic low back pain in a sex- and age-specific manner with some pretty impressive AUCs.

journals.lww.com/pain/abstrac...

#neuroskyence #painresearch #physio
October 20, 2025 at 1:00 PM
asafklaf.bsky.social
Officially published💥 A reboot to the #pain field! The aphorism that “nociception is neither necessary nor sufficient for pain” has caused a lot of damage to patients and set back the field and should be discarded.

#neuroskyence #painresearch #physio

Free link: academic.oup.com/brain/advanc...
October 15, 2025 at 8:29 AM
asafklaf.bsky.social
Metabolic disorders and pathophysiologies have many detrimental effects and are associated not only with tendinopathies but also with chronic #pain and are highly likely to be causal for these. This new review finds that diabetes has crazy effect sizes for many types of tendinopathies
#physio #pain
The interplay between metabolic disorders and tendinopathies: Systematic review and meta‐analysis
This systematic review highlights a strong link between metabolic conditions and tendinopathies. Diabetes significantly increases the risk, especially for Achilles and upper limb tendinopathies. Dysl...
esskajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 9, 2025 at 11:35 AM
asafklaf.bsky.social
Very important and useful clinical information on the average age of onset of autoimmune diseases.

From: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

#physio #painscience
October 8, 2025 at 8:24 AM
asafklaf.bsky.social
A new medical illustration I made per request. I wish I could just do those all day.

#painscience
#neuroskyence
#physio
🛟🧪
May 4, 2025 at 7:56 PM
asafklaf.bsky.social
According to Betteridge's law of headlines, the answer to the titles question is: NO!
The study found MICROSCOPIC effect sizes for the contribution of psychological factors in the persistence of shoulder pain!

#physio #painscience
🧪🛟

journals.lww.com/clinicalpain...
Do Psychological Factors Explain the Persistence of... : The Clinical Journal of Pain
education program. Methods: One hundred forty-three individuals with persistent RCRSP were included in this prospective cohort study. At baseline, participants completed self-reported questionnaire...
journals.lww.com
April 16, 2025 at 10:27 AM
asafklaf.bsky.social
First phase 3 trial for the novel non-opioid drug Suzetrigine. It’s not placebo controlled and aimed to test the safety profile of the drug. I am not sure wheter this could be considered “well-tolerated” and “generally safe”

#physio
#painscience
#neuroskyence
🧪🛟

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Suzetrigine, a Non-Opioid NaV1.8 Inhibitor With Broad Applicability for Moderate-to-Severe Acute Pain: A Phase 3 Single-Arm Study for Surgical or Non-Surgical Acute Pain
Many patients experience inadequate pain control due to limited options that are both efficacious and safe for treating moderate-to-severe acute pain; therefore, opioids are still frequently prescr...
www.tandfonline.com
April 3, 2025 at 7:20 AM
asafklaf.bsky.social
New study finds evidence for neuroinflammation in the periphery of individuals after WHIPLASH. Very well conducted study! Sample size ✅ control group ✅ Sig. findings on MRI ✅ Sig. findings on blood tests ✅ Sig. findings on QST ✅

#physio
#neuroskyence
#painresearch
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Evidence for peripheral neuroinflammation after acute... : PAIN
a subgroup with underlying nerve involvement in WADII, such as peripheral neuroinflammation. This study aimed to investigate the presence of neuroinflammation in acute WADII using T2-weighted magnetic...
journals.lww.com
March 5, 2025 at 4:01 PM
asafklaf.bsky.social
New study finds evidence for neuroinflammation in the periphery of individuals after WHIPLASH. Very well conducted study! Sample size ✅ control group ✅ Sig. findings on MRI ✅ Sig. findings on blood tests ✅ Sig. findings on QST ✅

#physio
#painresearch
#neuroskyence

journals.lww.com/pain/Fulltex...
Evidence for peripheral neuroinflammation after acute... : PAIN
a subgroup with underlying nerve involvement in WADII, such as peripheral neuroinflammation. This study aimed to investigate the presence of neuroinflammation in acute WADII using T2-weighted magnetic...
journals.lww.com
March 5, 2025 at 3:59 PM
asafklaf.bsky.social
Striking cases of neuro-immune interactions: Upper pic: Psoriasis vanished from right hand after shoulder dislocation with brachial plexus injury. Bottom pic: Four months later, as nerves began to recover, psoriasis returned.
#neuroskyence
#painresearch
#physio
🧪🛟
February 8, 2025 at 3:15 PM
asafklaf.bsky.social
New study with combined 7 Tesla MRI imaging and PET scan finds altered structures of nerves and neuroinflammation in migraine patients. Vey robust design that includes a control group and same cases as right/left side dominant migraines as controls.
#painresearch
#neuroskyence
#physio
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Trigeminal nerve microstructure is linked with neuroinflammation and brainstem activity in migraine
Using multimodal imaging, Tohyama et al. show that individuals with migraine have white matter damage in the trigeminal nerve. This damage is associated wi
academic.oup.com
February 6, 2025 at 10:05 AM
asafklaf.bsky.social
FDA approves new pain killer- First non-opioid analgesic in decades targets sodium channels.

#painresearch
#physio
#neuroskyence
🛟🧪

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
US drug agency approves potent painkiller — the first non-opioid in decades
The FDA’s nod for suzetrigine bolsters confidence in the pharmaceutical industry’s strategy to target sodium channels.
www.nature.com
February 1, 2025 at 8:58 AM
asafklaf.bsky.social
New imaging technique published in Nature to image inflammation utilizes the protein CD-45 which is used only by white blood cells.

Link: Link: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#painresearch
#physio
#neuroskyence
🛟🧪
January 26, 2025 at 4:17 PM
asafklaf.bsky.social
There is no such thing as “STRUCTURAL PAIN” and “non structural pain” etc. The plethora of unpleasant sensory experiences we humans use the word “pain” to describe them, are all the consequences of activation of our specialized appartus of nociception.
#painresearch
#physio
#neuroskyence
January 22, 2025 at 1:27 PM
asafklaf.bsky.social
It should be obligatory for every med/life sci grad student to learn formal logic & reasoning. Too many published papers are poorly argued and make basic inferential errors. This small change would dramatically improve science

#physio
#painresearch
#neuroskyence
🧪🛟
January 21, 2025 at 2:20 PM
asafklaf.bsky.social
💥New publication from our lab with some important clinical nuggets.
We followed 2 groups of patients with Lumbar Spinal Stenosis and leg pain, who decided to undergo surgery or to “wait and see”
A 🧵

journals.lww.com/jaaos/abstra...

#physio
#painresearch
#orthosky
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The Clinical Status of Patients With Lumbar Spinal Stenosis ... : JAAOS - Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
oth groups were assessed at baseline (t0) and 3 months (t1), with additional self-reported measures at 6 (t2) and 12 months (t3). Key outcomes included corridor walk distance, chair sit-to-stand repet...
journals.lww.com
January 13, 2025 at 4:26 PM
asafklaf.bsky.social
Instead of talking about the predatory nature of MDPI journals, can we talk about how UGLY their formatting is? It’s literally hurting my eyes reading their papers online and PDFs 😣

#painresearch
🧪
December 26, 2024 at 10:16 AM
asafklaf.bsky.social
🤘🏻The study I have been waiting for 30 years! Only Scandinavians can pull this out let alone publish it in a Scandinavian pain journal 🤘🏻
#painscience
#physio
#painresearch
#ignobel2025

www.degruyter.com/document/doi...
December 25, 2024 at 10:21 AM
asafklaf.bsky.social
Finalnd downgraded many MDPI and Frontiers journals in their quality grading. Good call for MDPI. As for Frontiers I am not really sure but tend to say its also a good call.
🧪
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#physio
#painresearch

retractionwatch.com/2024/12/24/f...
Finland Publication Forum will downgrade hundreds of Frontiers and MDPI journals
A committee of scholars in Finland has decided to downgrade 271 journals from Frontiers and MDPI in their quality rating system, in a move that may discourage researchers from submitting manuscript…
retractionwatch.com
December 24, 2024 at 3:50 PM
asafklaf.bsky.social
This paper is making the rounds on social media. I have been trying really hard to find and understand the point where this paper actually says something of novel significance and I failed miserably 🤷🏻‍♂️
#physio
#neuroskyence
#painresearch

bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
Pain can’t be carved at the joints: defining function-based pain profiles and their relevance to chronic disease management in healthcare delivery design - BMC Medicine
Background Pain is a complex problem that is triaged, diagnosed, treated, and billed based on which body part is painful, almost without exception. While the “body part framework” guides the organizat...
bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com
December 23, 2024 at 2:30 PM
asafklaf.bsky.social
Today, in the stupid article title department...
How is this nonsense acceptable?

#painscience
#painresearch
#neuroscience
December 10, 2024 at 6:42 PM
asafklaf.bsky.social
Interesting new mutation identified in the SCN9A gene, which leads to nociceptive deficiency (not “insensitivity to pain” 🤦🏻‍♂️). This gene encodes for the Nav1.7 sodium gated channel.

#painscience
#painresearch
#neuroscience

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39528285/
[Genetic analysis of a child with Congenital insensitivity to pain due to compound heterozygous variants of SCN9A gene] - PubMed
The child was diagnosed with CIP due to the compound heterozygous variants of the SCN9A gene. Above finding has enabled genetic counselling and reproductive guidance for this family.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
December 9, 2024 at 4:02 PM
asafklaf.bsky.social
Amazing! Deep thalamic brain stimulation helped mice and 2 human patients with partial spinal cord injury to regain the ability to walk!

#medsky
#physio
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www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Hypothalamic deep brain stimulation augments walking after spinal cord injury - Nature Medicine
Whole-brain anatomical and activity surveys identify the lateral hypothalamus as a key driver of recovery from spinal cord injury, leading to a deep brain stimulation therapy that augments the recover...
www.nature.com
December 6, 2024 at 2:20 PM
asafklaf.bsky.social
New study with shear wave elastography, shows patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain, have stiffer lumbar fascia snd muscles compared to controls. Good sample size and moderate to large effects!

#painscience
#physio
#painresearch

www.frontiersin.org/journals/bio...
Frontiers | Shear wave elastography based analysis of changes in fascial and muscle stiffness in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain
BackgroundThe quantitative assessment of individual muscle and fascial stiffness in patients with low back pain remains a challenge. This study aimed to comp...
www.frontiersin.org
December 6, 2024 at 8:36 AM