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Rheumatology Advance Access originally published online on May 30, 2003
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Rheumatology 2003; 42: 1133-1137
© 2003 British Society for Rheumatology

Editorial

What is pain management, and what is its relevance to the rheumatologist?

R. G. Cooper, C. K. Booker and C. C. Spanswick

Manchester and Salford Pain Centre, Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust, Stott Lane, Salford M6 8HD, UK

Correspondence to: R. G. Cooper, Manchester and Salford Pain Centre, Hope Hospital, Eccles Old Road, Salford M6 8HD, UK. E-mail: rcooper@fs1.ho.man.ac.uk

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Introduction

A predominant symptom common to most rheumatological conditions is musculoskeletal pain, and providing excellence in the diagnosis and treatment of painful inflammatory joint and connective tissue diseases probably represented a major motivating factor behind many individuals’ decision to become rheumatologists. Despite such aspirations, many rheumatological referrals are in respect of patients whose musculoskeletal pain is not due to inflammatory disease. Furthermore, as ‘benign’ non-inflammatory musculoskeletal pain cannot usually be prioritized as urgent, most patients will have become chronic pain (i.e. >3 months) sufferers by the time of their first hospital appointment. How rheumatologists view the chronic pain aspects of individual patients may vary greatly. Most feel comfortable dealing with chronic pain where this has an inflammatory cause, for example in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) sufferers with whom they may feel great empathy. In contrast, many rheumatologists feel uncomfortable dealing with chronic pain where the cause is unclear, as in mechanical low . . . [Full Text of this Article]

So, what is pain management, and what is its relevance to the rheumatologist?

Physiology of pain

The transition from acute to chronic LBP

The management of complex cases by interdisciplinary pain centres

Summary


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This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Rheumatology (Oxford)Home page
A. O. Frank
What is pain management? What can rheumatologists do with no pain management team?
Rheumatology, June 1, 2004; 43(6): 812 - 813.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Rheumatology (Oxford)Home page
R. G. Cooper, K. K. Booker, and C. Spanswick
Reply: What is pain management? What can rheumatologists do with no pain management team?
Rheumatology, June 1, 2004; 43(6): 813 - 813.
[Full Text] [PDF]