The embodiments disclosed herein provide methods for inhibiting, reducing and/or treating pain in a subject by administering to a subject in need thereof a pharmaceutical formulation that includes a pharmacologically active compound that is adapted to disrupt PRL signaling in pain neurons. In certain embodiments, the compound is a PRL-R antagonist. In certain embodiments, the compound is adapted to alter the expression of one or more components involved in PRL signaling. Also provided for herein are methods to diagnose a pain disorder in a subject, comprising obtaining a measure of the amount of PRL or PRL mRNA in a biological sample.