Topical Concurrent Session 3D – Pain mechanism matters

Description

Pain is a personal experience that differs for every individual. There is no one-size-fits all treatment. Instead, personalised pain management is likely to be the key. How can this be achieved? Amongst the features that characterise an individual’s pain experience are an array of neurobiological processes. These processes are diverse. They not only influence the presentation of pain, but also the likely success of treatments. Unravelling the understanding and identification of mechanisms is a critical step towards personalisation of care. This session will consider three key issues regarding this challenge. First, it is critical to consider that there are different pathways to chronicity, and novel brain imaging paradigms are beginning to reveal different pain mechanism biomarkers such as modified glial cell function. Second, how psychosocial and lifestyle factors impact and relate to an individual’s pain experience depends on the underlying pain mechanism, such that two individuals challenged in a similar manner may have very difference responses. Third, for personalisation of pain management to be based on pain mechanism, it must be identifiable in clinical practice. Classification of pain into nociceptive, neuropathic and nociplastic mechanisms has been proposed, but is it possible to identify and discriminate between these in clinical practice.

Speakers:
Professor Luke Henderson, University of Sydney, NSW
Dr David Klyne, University of Queensland, QLD
Paul Hodges, University of Queensland, QLD