Transition from Acute to Chronic Pain: Where Cells, Systems and Society Meet

Abstract

Current treatments for chronic pain are often ineffective. At the same as searching for novel therapeutics, there is growing interest in preventing acute pain becoming chronic. While the field is still in its infancy, its knowledge base is increasingly expanding. Certainly, biomedical factors, for example, the type of tissue damage, are important but they are often not modifiable. Psychosocial risk factors (e.g., thoughts and beliefs about pain, mood, social support, workplace problems) are modifiable. There is an increasing body of research that cognitive behavioral therapy can prevent transition. Internet-based delivery of cognitive behavioral therapy improves access. Clinicians need to be aware that they may inadvertently promote pain chronification in their patients by what they say and do.

Keywords::

• acute pain
• central sensitization
• chronic pain
• cognitive behavioral therapy
• descending pain modulation
• pain
• predictive models
• psychosocial factors
• risk factors
• transition

Author contributions

All authors contributed to planning the review and writing the manuscript. They all approved the final version and take responsibility for the accuracy of the contents.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Paul Glare is a consultant to Cymra Life Sciences and owns Cymra stock options. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.