This book employs contemporary philosophy, scientific research, and clinical reports to argue that pain, though real, is not an appropriate object of scientific generalisations or an appropriate target for medical intervention. Each pain experience is instead complex and idiosyncratic in a way which undermines scientific utility. In addition to contributing novel arguments and developing a novel position on the nature of pain, the book provides an interdisciplinary overview of dominant models of pain. The author lays the needed groundwork for improved models and targeted treatments at a time when pain science, pain medicine, and philosophy are explicitly searching for both and failing to find them. The Complex Reality of Pain will be of interest to a broad range of researchers and students, including those working in philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, cognitive science, neuroscience, medicine, health, cognitive and behavioural psychology, and pain science.
An illuminating, authoritative, and in-depth examination of the fascinating science behind pain and the complexities of its treatment—from one of the internationally leading doctors in pain management. Pain is a universal human experience, but we understand very little about the mechanics behind it. We hurt ourselves, we feel pain, we seek help from a professional or learn to avoid certain behaviors that cause pain. But the story of what goes on in our body is far from simple. Even medical practitioners themselves often fail to grasp the complexities between our minds and bodies and how they interact when dealing with pain stimulus. Throughout history we’ve tried to prevent and mediate the effects of pain—which has only resulted in a highly medicated population and a booming opiates industry. Written by a medical expert trained as an anesthesiologist, An Anatomy of Pain is the first book to clearly explain the current issues and complexities surrounding the treatment of pain and how society deals with those in pain, as well as how our bodies relate to pain. Common conception still equates pain with tissue damage but that is only a very small part of the story—the organ which produces pain is the brain. Case studies show that a woman who has undergone a c-section reports dramatically less pain than a patient who has had kidney stones removed in a similarly invasive operation. The soldier who drags himself or herself to safety after being shot deals with pain in a remarkably different way from someone suffering a similar injury on a street. The truth is that pain is a complex mix of nerve endings, psychological state, social preconceptions, and situational awareness. Filled with case studies and medical history, this enlightening book offers a crash course in all aspects of pain, from chronic to acute, and walks us through the current landscape of pain treatments—from medication (including opioids) to electrical nerve stimulation. Whether it’s a mild ache or severe discomfort, we all encounter pain in our lives and this important and illuminating book allows us to master the art of caring and coping with an experience that for so many can become all-consuming.
As our understanding of the mechanisms of the brain and nervous system that underlie the conscious experience of pain has increased over the past 60 years, so too has the field of pain management. What began as almost exclusively the domain of anaesthetists has become multidisciplinary, and now comprises many other specialisms including neurology, psychology, nursing, occupational therapy and physiotherapy. This spate of activity has been paralleled by a similar growth in research: in neurophysiology, psychology and pharmacology as well as clinical medicine. Simultaneously, the pharmaceutical industry has spent billions of pounds and dollars in the search for better drugs for relieving pain. This ground-breaking book is compiled by former contributors to The Special Interest Group for Philosophy and Ethics of the British Pain Society. The issues discussed include satisfactory relief of chronic pain, the inadequacy of scientific biomedicine in offering answers, and ethical problems arising in pain medicine. 'Suffering cannot be found in a laboratory test or imaging study; it is only observable by communicating with the sufferer. The eleven chapters in this book approach this conundrum from vastly different perspectives, some highly personal and others broadly social. Issues such as the interface between the physician and the pharmaceutical industry are also presented. Each chapter describes a facet of the problems of suffering and some of the available paths to recovery.' John D Loeser in the Foreword
Despite the proliferation of pain clinics and various pain-oriented therapies, there is an absence of data supporting any substantial change in the statistics regarding the incidence, development and persistence of pain. As renowned pain clinician and scientist Daniel M. Doleys argues, there may be a need for a fundamental shift in the way we view pain. In this thoughtful work, Doleys presents the evolving concept and complex nature of pain with the intention of promoting a broadening of the existing paradigm within which pain is viewed and understood. Combining neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy of science, this book reviews the history of pain and outlines the current concepts and theories regarding the mechanisms involved in the experience of pain. Experimental and clinical research in a broad array of areas including neonatal pain, empathy and pain, psychogenic pain, and genetics and pain is summarized. The notion of pain as a disease process rather than a symptom is highlighted. Although there is a continued interest in activation of the peripheral nociceptive system as a determining factor in the experience of pain, the growing appreciation for the brain as the intimate 'pain generator' is emphasized. The definition of consciousness and conscious awareness and a theory as to how it relates to nociceptive processing is discussed. Finally, the author describes the potential benefit of incorporating some of the concepts from systems and quantum theory into our thinking about pain. The area of pain research and treatment seems on the precipice of change. This work intends to provide a glimpse of what these changes might be in the context of where pain research and therapy has come from, where it currently is, and where it might be headed.
Dr Webster puts a face on chronic pain through describing the lives of patients. 'The Painful Truth' opens readers' eyes to a population who are stigmatized and marginalized by society. Yet the work offers a path forward for those willing to engage in a crusade against our primal enemy: pain.
Complex Regional Pain Syndromes: New Insights for the Healthcare Professional: 2011 Edition is a ScholarlyPaper™ that delivers timely, authoritative, and intensively focused information about Complex Regional Pain Syndromes in a compact format. The editors have built Complex Regional Pain Syndromes: New Insights for the Healthcare Professional: 2011 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Complex Regional Pain Syndromes in this eBook to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Complex Regional Pain Syndromes: New Insights for the Healthcare Professional: 2011 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.
This book focuses on the reciprocal interactions between pain, emotion and cognition. International experts report on their findings, clinical experience and the most recent literature on the complex relations between these three domains. Clinical, psychological, behavioral and neuroimaging approaches converge towards aiding patients suffering from pain, cognitive impairment or emotional distress. Beyond the pathophysiological aspects of pain, difficulties encountered with patients are analyzed and strategies are proposed to optimize treatment, doctor-patient relationships, and patient well-being. This work will appeal to a broad readership, from clinical medical practitioners to psychologists, nurses and pain specialists.
As medical science continues its rapid advances, questions are raised that have more to do with theology than with technology: Where is God when I am hurt or suffering? What role does God play in my healing? "Pain Seeking Understanding" examines how believers and nonbelievers alike wrestle with questions of faith when confronted with pain and suffering that medicine alone cannot treat. Margaret Mohrmann and Mark Hanson call upon fellow experts in the fields of medicine, ethics, theology, and pastoral care to help them weave the complex story of faith and science working together to ease suffering -- and to help broaden our understanding of God's role in suffering and healing.
Handle the vital issue of pain management safely and effectively, with the proven range of treatments offered in Pain Management for Advanced Practice. Offering compassionate, holistic pain management strategies -- pharmacological and nonpharmacological -- this expert guide supports evidence-based decision making, with multimodal care options that include cognitive behavioral therapy, yoga, acupuncture, analgesics and supplementary pharmaceuticals. Essential for clinicians in all practice areas, this is the real-world support all advanced practice clinicians need for managing patients in pain. Offer effective pain management across the spectrum of acute and chronic pain conditions: Current data from studies that demonstrate real-life application of proven modalities Supports National Institutes of Health pain treatment options - innovative medications and technologies that treat opioid use disorders, for improved overdose prevention and reversal interventions that save lives and support recovery Designed to support both patients and their families in ways that avoid the pitfalls of the opioid epidemic Key Points listed in each chapter offering vital clinical tips Chapters that address a wide range of pain management models and treatments, including: Biopsychosocial model of pain and patient-centered pain management - multimodal treatment strategies that holistically address the needs of the patient and their family on biologic, psychological, social and spiritual levels Pain neurophysiology and phenotypes - common types of pain, including complex regional pain syndrome, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, neuropathy, osteoarthritis, piriformis syndrome, sciatica Pain assessment, clinical history and examination Diagnostic testing and imaging of pain Multimodal management of pain - perioperative, neck and low back, chronic, cancer, other musculoskeletal pain Psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy Pharmacologic management - pain pharmacogenetics, opioid and nonopioid analgesics, adjuvant therapies (including herbals and supplements), managing multiple symptoms Nonpharmacologic management - aromatherapy, breath therapy, thermal therapy, distraction, gaming/virtual reality, music therapy, massage, reiki, acupuncture, movement therapy, electrocutaneous therapy, nutritional interventions, spinal manipulation, exercise, acupuncture, massage, tai chi, yoga, mindfulness, music Interventional pain management Surgical and procedural pain management - postoperative pain assessment, opioid and nonopioid analgesia, peripheral nerve block and local anesthetics, nonsteroidal anti- inflammatory drugs Treating pain in the addicted patient System-level pain management A must-have for advanced practice clinicians in all practice areas, particularly medical-surgical, critical care, oncology and emergency care About the Authors Angela Starkweather, PhD, ACNP-BC, CNRN, FAAN, is a Professor at the Center for Advancement in Managing Pain at the University of Connecticut School of Nursing in Storrs, Connecticut. Paula S. McCauley, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, FAANP, is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Connecticut Health, and is an Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Nursing in Storrs, Connecticut.
What is persistent pain? How do we communicate pain, not only in words but in visual images and gesture? How do we respond to the pain of another, and can we do it better? Can explaining how pain works help us handle it? This unique compilation of voices addresses these and bigger questions.Defined as having lasted over three months, persistent pain changes the brain and nervous system so pain no longer warns of danger: it seems to be a fault in the system. It is a major cause of disability globally, but it remains difficult to communicate, a problem both to those with pain and those who try to help. Language struggles to bridge the gap, and it raises ethical challenges in its management unlike those of other common conditions.Encountering Pain shares leading research into the potential value of visual images and non-verbal forms of communication as means of improving clinician-patient interaction. It is divided into four sections: hearing, seeing, speaking, and a final series of contributions on the future for persistent pain. The chapters are accompanied by vivid photographs co-created with those who live with pain.The volume integrates the voices of leading scientists, academics and contemporary artists with poetry and poignant personal testimonies to provide a manual for understanding the meanings of pain, for healthcare professionals, pain patients, students, academics and artists. The voices and experiences of those living with pain are central, providing tools for discussion and future research, shifting register between creative, academic and personal contributions from diverse cultures and weaving them together to offer new understanding, knowledge and hope.Praise for Encountering Pain 'From a remarkable variety of disciplinary and cultural perspectives - from medicine and therapy to the creative arts and philosophy - this inspirational and eye-opening collection succeeds in articulating the mysterious and overwhelmingly complex sensory experience that is pain. Pain, the encounters in this volume suggest, defies definition; it is subjective and unpredictable; it can be phantom or real. Through its radical and engaging use of testimonies, Encountering Pain never shies away from metaphor and the unfounded fear, that the allegorising of pain will dilute its reality. Examined through a multitude of verbal and non-verbal paradigms, contributors discuss the physicality of pain and its political, administrative and medical regulation; the body's trauma and expressiveness; how pain is transmuted into art. The communication of something that resists being expressed straightforwardly in verbal form metamorphoses, as you read this extraordinarily rich and innovative volume, into a metaphor for life itself, for who we are, how we become social beings by developing empathy and respect for the pain of others, for how we develop and then question through these interactions our sense of identity.' - Professor Stella Bruzzi, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, UCL'This book is the result of a collaborative, multi-disciplinary investigation into the experience of pain and how it might be understood and ameliorated. Deborah Padfield's photographs, made in collaboration with pain sufferers, reveal how an otherwise debilitating, highly subjective and individualising experience might become a topic for intersubjective communication. Through her innovative and experimental photography we learn that the photographic image can potentially play a role in the medical field by addressing 'what is felt' by the patient alongside the usual indexical medical documentation of 'what is there'. In so doing photography may provide a means of sharing perceptual experience and stimulating doctor-patient discussion around the emotional interplay of body and mind. - Gina Glover, a photographic artist working in the fields of health, genetics and science.www.ginaglover.com'This is a majestic volume. Visually striking, intellectually challenging, and experientially transformative, this book promises to change how everyone encounters pain.' - Dr Rob Boddice, Freie Universität Berlin'Deborah Padfield's book, Perceptions of Pain (2003), introduced a ground-breaking strategy through which photography became an effective tool to interpret pain - an aspect of human experience that can, so often, appear inexplicable. The powerful images in this book are further evidence of the collaborative strength of photography and its special ability to give voice to those who are excluded.' - Dewi Lewis, Publisher'A work that brings photographic, figurative and poetic images of chronic pain to the clinic and demonstrates how visual, communicative frameworks can re-voice experiences and diagnoses of pain. This major, deeply reflective collection of papers represents a turning-point in defining the multifaceted importance of painscapes in clinical, therapeutic, and humanistic advocacy work. It firmly situates the arts and humanities, alongside the sciences, in responding to the pressing need for new strategies to alleviate chronic pain.' - Prof Brian Hurwitz, Emeritus Professor of Medicine and the Arts, King's College London'Pain and its ever-increasing numbers of sufferers inhabit a kind of night world isolated from the "normal" day world. 'A bandage hides the place where each is living', W.H. Auden once wrote, while we, the healthy, 'stand elsewhere'. Encountering Pain is an attempt to narrow this rift by making sure sufferers are heard, seen, and able to speak again - so that they might be better understood. Padfield and Zakrzewska have assembled an impressive team of patients, healthcare providers, artists and academicians, all determined to make pain more visible and communicable. The authors compellingly demonstrate that language -- whether in the form of words, gestures or images - is a necessary first step towards alleviating pain. That it can often be as powerful as medicine. '- Dr David Biro, Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at SUNY Health Science Center @ Brooklyn and author of The Language of Pain: Finding Words, Compassion, and Relief.
