Pain Management Approaches in Chronic Pain Conditions
Summary
Chronic pain is a complex affliction arising from diverse aetiologies including neuropathic, nociceptive and central sensitisation mechanisms. Management has evolved from reliance on analgesics and opioids towards a multimodal paradigm that integrates pharmacotherapy, interventional procedures, neuromodulation and psychosocial support. First-line drug regimens now favour tricyclic antidepressants, serotonin–noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors and α2δ-ligands for neuropathic presentations, while topical agents such as capsaicin and lidocaine patches offer targeted relief with minimal systemic effects. Minimally invasive interventions—from epidural steroid injections to radiofrequency ablation—address discrete pain generators in axial skeleton conditions, and spinal cord stimulation has become established for refractory neuropathic syndromes. Concurrently, multidisciplinary pain therapy embraces physiotherapy, psychological counselling and patient education to improve function and quality of life. The global burden of chronic pain demands tailored strategies that balance efficacy, safety and accessibility, with emerging research focusing on mechanism-guided interventions and personalised delivery of care.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Pain Management Approaches in Chronic Pain Conditions publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in pain management approaches in chronic pain conditions across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Neuropathic pain: Pain arising from lesion or dysfunction of the somatosensory nervous system.
Neuromodulation: Therapeutic alteration of neural activity through electrical or chemical stimuli, exemplified by spinal cord stimulation.
α2δ-ligands: Anticonvulsant drugs that bind the α2δ subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels, reducing neuronal excitability in neuropathic pain.
Multidisciplinary pain therapy: Coordinated approach combining medical, physiotherapeutic and psychological treatments to address the multifaceted nature of chronic pain.
References
- Pharmacotherapy and non-invasive neuromodulation for neuropathic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Neurology (2025).
- Spinal cord stimulation in chronic pain: evidence and theory for mechanisms of action. Bioelectronic Medicine (2019).
- Effect of supraneural transforaminal epidural steroid injection combined with caudal epidural steroid injection with catheter in chronic radicular pain management: Double blinded randomized controlled trial.. F1000Research (2020).
- Facet Joint Injection versus Radiofrequency Facet Neurotomy for Treatment of Lumbar Facet Joint Arthropathy. Advanced Spine Journal (2018).
- COMPARISON OF SPINAL CORD NEUROMODULATION OUTCOMES FOR REFRACTORY CHRONIC PAIN IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETIC NEUROPATHY AND POSTHERPETIC NEURALGIA A TECHNICAL AND QUALITY OF LIFE ANALYSIS. Brazilian Journal of Implantology and Health Sciences (2024).
- Multimodal pain therapy for persistent idiopathic facial pain - a pilot study. BioPsychoSocial Medicine (2022).
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.