Mauck MC, et al. - In this study, researchers investigated how body mass index influence axial and overall musculoskeletal pain (MSP) severity (0-10 numeric rating scale) 6 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year after motor vehicle collision (MVC) among 917 European Americans who presented to the Emergency Department for initial evaluation. Obesity (particularly morbid obesity) was identified as an independent risk factor for worse MSP after MVC after adjusting for an array of sociodemographic factors. Furthermore, there was a substantial effect modification between obesity risk and a genetic variant known to reduce hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis negative feedback inhibition (FKBP5 rs9380526). Obese individuals with and without the risk allele showed 41% vs 16% increased risk of moderate or severe MSP, respectively, at 6 months.