Pain is an offensive visual and emotional experience linked with actual or possible tissue damage or described regarding such damage. Scurvy caused due to the deficiency of Vitamin C disease is characterized by musculoskeletal pain. Latest epidemiological evidence has demonstrated the association between suboptimal vitamin C status and spinal pain.

In addition, some evidence found that the administration of Vitamin C can provide analgesic effects in certain clinical conditions. The incidence of hypovitaminosis C and vitamin C deficiency is high in numerous patient groups like surgical/trauma, infectious diseases, and cancer patients. As per the evidence from the latest research studies, a significant decrease has been noted in the symptoms of chronic regional pain syndrome after the administration of vitamin C.  The administration of Vitamin C also causes the reduction in the acute herpetic and post-herpetic neuralgia. Moreover, it was observed that high dose vitamin C decreases the cancer-related pain, thereby improving quality of life of the patient.

Various mechanisms have been proposed for the analgesic properties of vitamin C. Researchers stated a novel analgesic mechanism for vitamin C; where it acts as a cofactor for the biosynthesis of amidated opioid peptides. It is already known that vitamin C participates in the amidation of peptides, by acting as a cofactor for peptidyl-glycine α-amidating monooxygenase, the only enzyme which amidate the carboxy-terminal residue of neuropeptides and peptide hormones. Supporting studies for this proposed mechanism shows a decrease in the requirement of opioid analgesics in case of surgical and cancer patients administered high dose vitamin C.

Therefore, vitamin C appears to be a safe and efficacious add-on therapy for patients with acute and chronic pain.