Chronic Abdominal Pain Management Strategies
Summary
Chronic abdominal pain represents a heterogeneous group of disorders that significantly impair quality of life and incur substantial healthcare costs worldwide. Management strategies are increasingly tailored to the underlying pain generator, with a shift from purely diagnostic testing towards targeted therapeutic interventions. Peripheral neuropathic pain syndromes such as anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome (ACNES) have gained recognition, and their treatment often follows a step-up algorithm ranging from local anaesthetic injections through minimally invasive neuromodulation to surgical neurectomy. Simultaneously, non-pharmacological modalities—encompassing physical therapy, osteopathic manipulation and cognitive–behavioural approaches—are being integrated into multidisciplinary care pathways. Advances in topical analgesics, implantable devices and neuromodulatory techniques offer novel avenues for patients refractory to conventional therapies. Across populations, optimal outcomes hinge on accurate clinical assessment, early identification of specific pain mechanisms, and a biopsychosocial framework that addresses psychological and social determinants alongside biological factors.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Chronic Abdominal Pain Management Strategies publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in chronic abdominal pain management strategies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome (ACNES): A form of chronic abdominal wall neuropathic pain caused by compression of cutaneous branches of the intercostal nerves.
Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF): A minimally invasive neuromodulation technique that applies intermittent electrical fields to nerve tissue to reduce pain transmission without destructive heat.
Neurectomy: Surgical excision or transection of a peripheral nerve segment to eliminate a chronic pain source.
Lidocaine patch: A topical delivery system that provides local anaesthesia by continuously releasing lidocaine to affected skin and subcutaneous nerve fibres.
Biopsychosocial model: An integrative approach acknowledging that biological, psychological and social factors collectively influence the experience and management of chronic pain.
References
- Pulsed radiofrequency or surgery for anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome: Long‐term results of a randomized controlled trial. Pain Practice (2023).
- Lidocaine patch as noninvasive alternative treatment option in children with anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome: A retrospective case series. Pediatric Anesthesia (2024).
- A Novel Approach to Assessing and Treating Musculoskeletal-Mediated Atypical Abdominal Pain: A Case Study. Cureus (2020).
- A Novel Approach to Assessing and Conservatively Treating Anterior Cutaneous Nerve Entrapment Syndrome: A Case Study. Cureus (2023).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.