Intensity of Chronic Pain — The Wrong Metric?
Abstract
Borrowing treatment principles from acute and end-of-life pain care, particularly a focus on pain intensity, has had harmful consequences for patients with chronic pain. Multimodal therapy, by contrast, aims to reduce pain-related distress, disability, and suffering.
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Multidisciplinary treatments for chronic pain, including medication management, are most effectively targeted at reducing pain-related distress and disability, rather than reducing pain intensity.
“This is consistent with the sometimes controversial perspective that multidisciplinary treatments for chronic pain, including medication management, are most effectively targeted at reducing pain-related distress and disability, rather than reducing pain intensity.23”
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- Authors
- Ballantyne, J. C., & Sullivan, M. D.
- Affiliations
- University of Washington (US)
- Venue
- New England Journal of Medicine
- Publisher
- Massachusetts Medical Society
- Published
- 2015-11-26
- Volume
- 373
- Issue
- 22
- Pages
- 2098-2099
- ISSN
- 0028-4793 (ISSN-L)
- 1533-4406
- OpenAlex
- W2327575756
- Cited by
- 284
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 39 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 29 · 2017: 27 · 2016: 31 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 38.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- New England Journal of Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Pain Management and Opioid Use
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Anesthesia and Pain Management
- Keywords
- chronic pain, pain intensity, pain assessment, multimodal therapy, pain-related distress, disability, suffering, treatment principles
- MeSH terms
- Analgesics, Opioid, Mental Disorders, Combined Modality Therapy, Humans, Opioid-Related Disorders, Pain Measurement, United States, Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry), Substance-Related Disorders, History, 20th Century, Chronic Pain
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