Pain Management and Neuropathic Outcomes in Burn Patients
Summary
Burn injury is among the most painful forms of trauma, often leading to both acute nociceptive pain and chronic neuropathic sequelae. Damage to peripheral nerve fibres within the burn zone and surrounding tissues initiates a cascade of inflammatory mediators, which sensitize nociceptors and facilitate maladaptive central nervous system changes. Central sensitisation manifests clinically as allodynia, hyperalgesia and spontaneous pain, severely impacting quality of life. Effective management combines pharmacological approaches—such as opioids, NMDA-receptor antagonists, gabapentinoids and topical local anaesthetics—with non-pharmacological strategies including psychological support, physical therapy and neuromodulation techniques. Emerging evidence highlights the importance of early excision and grafting to minimise toxic mediator release, alongside interventions targeting neuroplasticity to restore normal sensory function. A holistic, multidisciplinary model is essential to mitigate long-term neuropathic outcomes and enhance functional recovery in burn survivors.
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Pain Management and Neuropathic Outcomes in Burn Patients publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in pain management and neuropathic outcomes in burn patients across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Allodynia: Pain elicited by a normally non-painful stimulus.
Central sensitisation: Heightened responsiveness of central neurons to peripheral input, leading to exaggerated pain perception.
Hyperalgesia: Increased sensitivity to a noxious stimulus.
Neuroplasticity: The nervous system’s capacity to reorganise structure and function in response to injury or experience.
NMDA-receptor antagonist: A class of drug that inhibits glutamate receptors involved in pain transmission and central sensitisation.
Neuromodulation: Techniques that alter nerve activity through targeted delivery of electrical or chemical agents.
References
- Pathological changes in the brain after peripheral burns. Burns & Trauma (2023).
- Functional Brain Changes Following Burn Injury: A Narrative Review. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair (2023).
- “Out of Touch”—Recovering Sensibility after Burn Injury: A Review of the Literature. European Burn Journal (2022).
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