Gregory Maassen Endures 1 Month of Spreading Burning Pain Without Diagnosis

Q: What was the 'absurd' prescription that cured a man's mysterious pain when modern medicine failed?

The “absurd” prescription was exercise — specifically, getting back on a bike. After months of unexplained, body-wide burning pain that doctors could not identify, Gregory Maassen was eventually diagnosed in 2019 with small fiber peripheral neuropathy at Johns Hopkins. Neurologist Dr. Ahmet Hoke told him that exercise could help regenerate damaged nerves and speed recovery. Maassen initially thought the advice sounded ridiculous given how much pain he was in and how little he could function. But he followed it, taking up electric biking, which allowed him to exercise despite his limitations. The approach worked: his symptoms improved significantly, and he later turned to long-distance e-bike rides to raise awareness and research funding for peripheral neuropathy. So the unconventional remedy that succeeded where earlier medical efforts had failed was not a drug or procedure, but exercise through e-biking.

1 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jul 21

51-year-old Gregory Maassen said a burning sensation that began near the top of his left arm spread within a month to his upper back, chest and eventually his entire body.
Most days, Maassen stayed in bed and still struggled to sleep as the pain ran from his ears to his feet.
Doctors ordered tests including blood draws and an endoscopy, but none identified the cause of his condition.
One doctor, Maassen said, suggested the pain might be tied to mental illness before another physician later prescribed an unlikely treatment that worked.

Sources

The Washington Post11h ago

Gregory Maassen Suffers Undiagnosed Widespread Burning Pain

What was the 'absurd' prescription that cured a man's mysterious pain when modern medicine failed?

Could your DNA hold the hidden reason for chronic pain that doctors dismiss as psychological?

Sources

1 total

The Washington Post11h ago

Gregory Maassen Suffers Undiagnosed Widespread Burning Pain

Gregory Maassen Endures 1 Month of Spreading Burning Pain Without Diagnosis

Summary

Sources

Insights

Sources