The journal of pain

Vulvodynia, vulvar pain of unknown etiology, lasting 3 months or longer, affects 7% of American women, and has no consistently effective treatment. We aimed to test the efficacy of acupuncture on vulvar pain and dyspareunia and explore the …

Emerging research indicates the potential of psychological pain management programs to address disability and distress associated with endometriosis-related pain. Understanding the characteristics of patients likely to benefit from such pro…

Disparities in care and management of pain among racial groups have been demonstrated in various studies. Chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs) have yet to be examined. This was an observational cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries …

This study investigates changes in regional homogeneity (ReHo) of the brain in patients with adenomyosis accompanied by dysmenorrhea (AMD) before and after uterine artery embolization (UAE) surgery. ReHo is a resting-state functional magnet…

Recurrent acute and chronic pancreatitis (RAP, CP) are complex, progressive inflammatory diseases with variable pain experiences impacting patient function and quality of life. The genetic variants and pain pathways in patients contributing…

There is increasing recognition that nociplastic pain and central sensitization may play a role in endometriosis-associated pain. The Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire Minor (PSQ-M) evaluates subjective widespread pain sensitivity, and is link…

The use of electronic health records (EHR) for chronic pain phenotyping has gained significant attention in recent years, with various algorithms being developed to enhance accuracy. Structured data fields (e.g., pain intensity, treatment m…

While coping with the heavy patient demands of chronic pain requires psychological resilience, its core mechanisms have not been systematically studied in high-impact pain disorders like Urologic Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (UCPPS). Applyi…

Vestibulodynia (VBD) is a common chronic primary pain condition (CPPC) defined by the presence of recurrent vulvovaginal pain with no obvious root cause. As many as 3 in 4 women with VBD may have co-occurring CPPCs, such as episodic migrain…

Both endocannabinoid (EC) and endogenous opioid systems are involved in nociceptive processing and may work together synergistically based on preclinical models. This study evaluated the interactive effects of preoperative beta-endorphin (B…

To correlate pain-related phenotyping for central nervous system sensitization in endometriosis-associated pain with mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic, the prospective Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Interdisciplinary Cohort…

Endometriosis is a gynecological disease that involves a broad biopsychosocial compromise with the potential to create a negative vicious cycle. Despite the complexity of factors influencing women's improvement, most interventions investiga…

Endometriosis-related pain may be associated with depressive symptoms. Although a growing body of evidence supports this association, the underlying mechanisms are still largely unclear. Impaired perceptions of bodily external and internal …

Chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs) by definition, frequently co-occur, perhaps reflecting their shared etiologies. Their overlapping nature presents a methodological challenge, possibly masking associations between COPCs and health…

Social determinants of health play a key role in health disparities. Dysmenorrhea is a highly prevalent and impactful public health problem affecting reproductive-age females. Systematically examining social determinants of health (SDoH) in…

Given the limitations of medical treatment for endometriosis, self-management is a critical component of symptom management, and providing patients with information and education is a necessary complement to medical interventions. Though 50…

Exploring the relationship between nociplastic pain and the severity and impact of pelvic pain symptoms could lend insight into the heterogeneous symptom presentation and treatment response that complicates management of chronic pelvic pain…

Studies have identified insomnia as having significant influence on chronic pain. A rising body of research has also underscored the association between eveningness and chronic pain. However, co-assessment of insomnia and eveningness in the…

The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated disruptions have been shown to increase rates of childhood depression, anxiety, obesity, and insomnia. Thus far, the epidemiological impact of the pandemic on the national prevalence of pediatric chr…

People with chronic pain engage in various strategies, such as pain catastrophizing and pain acceptance, to regulate the difficult emotional aspects of living with pain. Engagement in these strategies is known to influence pain severity and…

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a chronic pain disorder characterized by local hypersensitivity and severe pain with pressure localized to the vulvar vestibule. Despite decades of study, the lack of identified biomarkers has slowed the dev…

Chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs) are a set of painful chronic conditions characterized by high levels of co-occurrence. It has been hypothesized that COPCs co-occur in many cases because of common neurobiological vulnerabilities.…

Effective management of patients with pain requires accurate information about the prevalence, outcomes, and co-occurrence of common pain conditions. However, the transition from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM diagnostic coding in 2015 left research…