TOPIC PAGES
Learn from key thought leaders and subject matter experts.
Understanding the different types of pain allows you to describe your symptoms accurately when talking with your doctor, making it easier to find the cause and right treatment. Here, we explore acute pain and its symptoms, causes, treatment, and resources to help live with it.
Back and neck pain are common complaints, though neither is a specific disease diagnosis. Read more about the difference, symptoms and treatment options, resources for living with back and neck pain, and related research and publications.
Bridging the gap between basic research and patient care with the ultimate goal of reducing the suffering that often accompanies pain.
Chronic pain is complex. But understanding its physical, emotional, and psychological and social components can help you communicate more effectively with healthcare providers, leading to better management and improved quality of life.
Although COVID-19 is primarily a respiratory disease, acute pain is a common symptom of COVID-19. Read more to discover how COVID-19 directly affects pain.
Pain assessment and measurements lead to better pain management, improved patient-provider communication, and enhanced overall well-being for individuals living with pain.
Understanding the brain’s role in pain and changing beliefs and perceptions about it can lead to better pain management and improved quality of life for people living with persistent pain.
Terminology
Read updated definitions of pain and common descriptions of pain conditions.
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Definition of Pain
What does the word “pain” really mean? Read the latest definition used by pain professionals.
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IASP Guidelines
Read our recommendations and guidelines relevant to the safe, clinical, and ethical way to research and practice pain medicine.
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ICD-11 Pain Classification
Learn more about this new classification that gives chronic pain greater attention as global health priority.
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Faces Pain Scale - Revised
The assessment of pain in children is an important means to guide diagnosis and evaluate treatment strategies. A child’s self-report of pain is considered most reliable, and the Faces Pain Scale - Revised (FPS-R) meets the unique assessment needs and responses of children. Recommended for ages 4-16, this pain scale is easy to administer and requires no special equipment except for photocopied faces. Learn how to use this tool for pediatric pain assessment.
Living with Pain Resources
Whether you have personal experience living with chronic pain, or you care for someone who does, we have information to help. Browse a list of organizations, publications, and resources relevant to people living with pain and find the support you need to manage the chronic conditions that cause it.
Fact Sheets
We work with top experts to develop fact sheets on various topics of pain prevention. Browse our list from previous years of our Global Year initiative.
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Toolkits
Access the multidisciplinary pain center development manual and receive training on its use in the pain community.
Other Resources
Grants and Fellowships
Explore IASP-funded grants and awards that promote basic or clinical research and support education in developing countries.
Translated Resources
View translations of many of IASPs resources, available in several languages.
Non-IASP Research Tools
Search a listing of pain-related resources not published or created by IASP.