Fig. 1

Changes in evoked pain responses and locomotor function after chronic dorsal root ganglion (DRG) compression. a An image illustrating the compression of the L5 dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and spinal nerve by inserting and retaining the plastic rod (diameter: 0.8–1 mm, length: 6 mm). b Diagram of the experimental protocol. c Changes in paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) to mechanical stimuli on the ipsilateral hind paw after DRG compression, compared to the contralateral hind paw (n = 10). d Changes in paw withdrawal latency (PWL) to heat stimuli following surgery (n = 10). e Changes in paw withdrawal latency (PWL) to cold stimuli (n = 10). f In the rotarod test, there were no significant differences in fall latency between surgery (n = 10) and sham-operated groups (n = 10). g Representative images of CatWalk assay. h–j Gait analysis revealed that rats exhibited significantly shorter stand time, lower max-intensity, and smaller max-contact area than sham-operated rats on postoperative day 7 (n = 10). k Representative images of the open field test. In the open-field test, significant differences were observed in the total distance traveled (l), number of center crossings (m), and activity distance in the central zone (n) on postoperative day 7 between the model and sham-operated rats (n = 10/group). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, ipsilateral hind paw vs contralateral hind paw or sham group vs model group. Two-way mixed model ANOVA followed by Sidak’s multiple comparisons test. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM. Note: The horizontal time axis is not equally spaced