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Cited by 153Pain Management and Opioid UseAnesthesia and Pain ManagementPain Mechanisms and Treatments

Nonnarcotic Methods of Pain Management

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Finnerup, Nanna B.·2019·New England Journal of Medicine
DOI 10.1056/nejmra1807061
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Abstract

Pain is “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or [is] described in terms of uch dama e” when there is no h sical deran ement 1 The function of ain is to protect the body by making the organism aware of damaging events and to promote healing by causing sensitivity to movement or other stimuli that may delay recovery. However, pain is not always related to tissue damage and does not always serve a protective function. This is the case with neuropathic pain, which is caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory parts of the nervous system, and with some other chronic pain conditions, such as fibromyalgia and migraine.2 Acute and chronic pain may cause suffering and interfere with daily life, factors that influence the choice of treatment. Acute pain is the most common reason for visiting an emergency department,3 and surgical procedures are often associated with acute postoperative pain.4,5 Chronic pain also causes suffering, as reflected by the finding in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 that chronic low back pain was the leading cause of years lived with disability.6 In addition to the contribution of pain to disability, that study showed that the associated problem of opioid use disorders accounted for 5.8 million additional years lived with disability,6 an observation that underpins attempts to treat pain with drugs other than opioids. Long-term opioid administration has minimal effects on chronic pain and can cause tolerance, drowsiness, and dependence, as well as impaired memory, concentration, and judgment.7 For these reasons, the International Association for the Study of Pain recommends caution in prescribing opioids for chronic pain,8 and there has been an increased emphasis on the use of nonopioid pain management. The choice of treatment for pain depends on many factors, and the heterogeneity and large number of acute and chronic pain conditions preclude a general treatment algorithm. In cooperation with the World Health Organization, the International Association for the Study of Pain has developed a classification of chronic pain for the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases2 (Table 1), and a similar classification has been proposed for acute pain,5 providing the bases for facilitating treatment pathways.

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  • NCLBP can cause physical, psychological, and social problems.

    “Non-specific chronic low back pain (NCLBP), defined as pain lasting for 12 weeks or longer [4], can cause not only physical suffering, but also psychological and social problems [5].”

    From Effect of m-health-based core stability exercise combined with self-compassion training for patients with non-specific chronic low back pain: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (2022) · cites this paper as [5]

    The opening section says chronic low back pain causes suffering and disability. “Assessment of Pain” describes depression, anxiety, and interference with daily activities in patients with chronic pain, while “Patient Education and Psychological Treatment” discusses social engagement. The paper does not specifically establish that non-specific chronic low back pain causes psychological and social problems. (LLM, conf=0.83)

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [20]20. Heiskanen T, Roine RP, Kalso E. Multi- disciplinary pain treatment -which pa- tients do benefit? Scand J Pain 2012; 3: 201-7.
  2. [21]21. Häuser W, Hagl M, Schmierer A, Han- sen E. The efficacy, safety and applica- tions of medical hypnosis. Dtsch Arztebl Int 2016; 113: 289-96.

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Authors
Finnerup, N. B.
Affiliations
Aarhus University (DK)
Corresponding author
Finnerup, Nanna B.
ORCID
Finnerup, Nanna B.
Venue
New England Journal of Medicine
Publisher
Massachusetts Medical Society
Published
2019-06-20
Volume
380
Issue
25
Pages
2440-2448
ISSN
  • 0028-4793 (ISSN-L)
  • 1533-4406
DOI
10.1056/nejmra1807061
OpenAlex
W2952209165
Cited by
153
References
45
Citations by year
2026: 21 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 2
FWCI
4.28
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
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 › Surgery › Anesthesia and Pain Management
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
Keywords
chronic pain, acute pain, neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, migraine, opioid use disorder, opioid tolerance and dependence, postoperative pain, chronic low back pain, pain classification, International Association for the Study of Pain
MeSH terms
Complementary Therapies, Anticonvulsants, Antidepressive Agents, Humans, Pain, Pain Measurement, Patient Education as Topic, Psychotherapy, Analgesics, Non-Narcotic, Pain Management

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