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Editorial
First published online February 13, 2020

Pain is complex

Volume 14, Issue 1
https://doi.org/10.1177/2049463720905209
Anybody who has experienced pain knows it is complex, although they may not recognise or acknowledge its complexity. The long-standing and much quoted definition of pain proposed by the International Association for Pain (IASP) recognises the important contribution of both biological and psychological factors to all types of pain, whether acute or persistent. The IASP proposed a revised definition in 2019 (below) and the final version following professional and public consultation is awaited.
Pain is
An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.1
Equally, there is no single treatment or approach that is going to be of benefit for all types of pain or all people. Hence, a range of strategies that span self-care, social, psychological, pharmacological and interventional approaches are required, and for most people a combination of these are needed.
This issue of the British Journal of Pain demonstrates the diversity in pain research and contains papers that will be of interest to practitioners from many disciplines covering a diverse range of topics from best practice in radiofrequency denervation procedures,2 the cerebral effects of paracetamol,3 cognitive analytical therapy,4 to the importance of communication in postsurgical pain.5

Reference

1. International Association for the Study of Pain (2019) IASP’s Proposed New Definition of Pain Released for Comment. Available at: https://www.iasp-pain.org/PublicationsNews/NewsDetail.aspx?ItemNumber=9218 (accessed 24 January 2020).
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2. Baronian R, Leggett SJE. Brief cognitive analytic therapy for adults with chronic pain: a preliminary evaluation of treatment outcome. British Journal of Pain 2020; 14(1): 57–67.
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3. De Coster O, Forget P, De Mey J, et al. Identification of the cerebral effects of paracetamol in healthy subjects: an fMRI study. British Journal of Pain 2020; 14(1): 23–30.
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4. Eldabe S, Tariq A, Nath S, et al. Best practice in radiofrequency denervation of the lumbar facet joints: a consensus technique. British Journal of Pain 2020; 14(1): 47–56.
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5. Mubita WM, Richardson C, Briggs M. Patient satisfaction with pain relief following major abdominal surgery is influenced by good communication, pain relief and empathic caring: a qualitative interview study. British Journal of Pain 2020; 14(1): 14–22.
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Volume 14, Issue 1
Pages: 4
Article first published online: February 13, 2020
Issue published: February 2020

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© The British Pain Society 2020.
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