Chronic Pain: Assessment, Diagnosis, and Management

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Neuroscience of Pain".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 April 2024) | Viewed by 1552

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Neurology and Restorative Medicine, Health Institute dr Boczarska-Jedynak, 32-600 Oswiecim, Poland
Interests: migraine; headache; pain; Parkinson's disease; brain stimulation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Chronic pain is one of the most common interdisciplinary health problems worldwide, and can lead to somatic and mental complications, including depression and even suicide attempts. The identification of pain etiology can be challenging; thus, standard pharmacological management may not be satisfactory. Despite the significant advances made in understanding the molecular basis of pain generation, imaging the brain areas related to pain regulation and understanding the mechanisms leading to pain chronification, pain therapy can still fail.

This Special Issue of Brain Sciences aims to present a comprehensive collection of studies detailing the most recent advancements in the field of chronic pain.

Authors are invited to submit original research and reviews that address a broad range of topics related to various types of chronic pain, including neuropathic, nociceptive, musculoskeletal, inflammatory and psychogenic pain.

We welcome manuscripts that address the following areas:

  • The diagnosis, evaluation and clinical monitoring of pain, considering the role of the multidisciplinary character of chronic pain conditions.
  • The pharmacological treatment of pain, particularly considering non-oral medications, e.g., topical agents, botulinum toxin and nerve blocks.
  • The non-pharmacological management of chronic pain, including neuromodulation, cognitive behavioral therapy, acupuncture, occupational therapy, as well as surgical intervention, e.g., spinal cord stimulation, deep brain stimulation and intrathecal pain pumps.
  • Computer-based technologies for pain assessment and modulation: virtual reality and other immersive systems, applications for patients and healthcare professionals, home-based devices and others.
  • The consequences of chronic pain, with a particular emphasis on psychiatric complications.
  • Methods for the prevention of pain chronification and drug overuse.

We cordially invite you to submit contributions to this Special Issue that will disseminate vital knowledge on this crucial and undertreated clinical problem.

Dr. Magdalena Boczarska-Jedynak
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • chronic pain
  • pain pharmacotherapy
  • botulinum toxin for pain
  • neuropathic pain
  • pain chronification
  • brain stimulation for pain

Published Papers (1 paper)

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15 pages, 1281 KiB  
Systematic Review
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Orthopedic Pain: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis
by William Adams, Sherina Idnani and Joosung Kim
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(1), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14010066 - 09 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1276
Abstract
(1) Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) appears to alleviate chronic pain via a brain-down mechanism. Although several review studies have examined the effects of tDCS on patients with chronic pain, no systematic review or meta-analysis has comprehensively analyzed the effects of tDCS [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) appears to alleviate chronic pain via a brain-down mechanism. Although several review studies have examined the effects of tDCS on patients with chronic pain, no systematic review or meta-analysis has comprehensively analyzed the effects of tDCS on chronic orthopedic joint pain in one study. We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of tDCS for pain reduction in chronic orthopedic patients; (2) Methods: A comprehensive search of five electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Cochrane) was performed. Only randomized controlled trials that compared tDCS with a control intervention were included. Eighteen studies met our inclusion criteria. We identified four categories of chronic orthopedic pain: knee (k = 8), lower back (k = 7), shoulder (k = 2), and orofacial pain (k = 1). Random effect models were utilized, and a sensitivity analysis was conducted in the presence of significant heterogeneity. Studies within each pain condition were further classified according to the number of treatment sessions: 1–5 sessions, 6–10 sessions, and >10 sessions.; (3) Results: Significant reductions in chronic orthopedic joint pain were observed following tDCS compared to controls for knee (g = 0.59, p = 0.005), lower back (g = 1.14, p = 0.005), and shoulder (g = 1.17, p = 0.020). Subgroup analyses showed pain reductions after 6–10 tDCS sessions for knee pain and after 1–5 and >10 sessions for lower back pain; (4) Conclusions: tDCS could be considered a potential stand-alone or supplemental therapy for chronic knee and lower back pain. The effectiveness of tDCS treatment varies depending on the number of treatment sessions. Our findings suggest the importance of implementing individualized treatment plans when considering tDCS for chronic pain conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chronic Pain: Assessment, Diagnosis, and Management)
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