The following pain terminology is updated from “Part III: Pain Terms, A Current List with Definitions and Notes on Usage” (pp 209-214) Classification of Chronic Pain, Second Edition, IASP Task Force on Taxonomy, edited by H. Merskey and N. Bogduk, IASP Press, Seattle, ©1994.
Pain Terms
- Pain
- Allodynia*
- Analgesia
- Anesthesia Dolorosa
- Causalgia
- Dysesthesia
- Hyperalgesia*
- Hyperesthesia
- Hyperpathia
- Hypoalgesia
- Hypoesthesia
- Neuralgia
- Neuritis
- Neuropathic Pain*
- Central Neuropathic Pain
- Peripheral Neuropathic Pain*
- Neuropathy*
- Nociception*
- Nociceptive Neuron*
- Nociceptive Pain*
- Nociceptive Stimulus*
- Nociceptor*
- Noxious Stimulus*
- Pain Threshold*
- Pain Tolerance Level*
- Paresthesia
- Sensitization*
- Central Sensitization*
- Peripheral Sensitization*
Note: An asterisk (*) indicates that the term is either newly introduced or the definition or accompanying note has been revised since the 1994 publication.
Pain and Addiction Terminology
from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1892816/table/T1/
| Term | Definition |
| Physical dependence | Normal physiologic adaptation defined as the development of withdrawal or abstinence syndrome with abrupt dose reduction or administration of an antagonist |
| Tolerance | Normal neurobiological event characterized by the need to increase the dose over time to obtain the original effect |
| Cross-tolerance | Normal neurobiological event of tolerance to effects of medication within the same class |
| Substance (opioid) dependence (addiction) | Chronic neurobiological disorder defined as a pattern of maladaptive behaviors, including loss of control over use, craving and preoccupation with nontherapeutic use, and continued use despite harm resulting from use with or without physical dependence or tolerance |
| Pseudoaddiction | Behavioral changes in patients that seem similar to those in patients with opioid dependence or addiction but are secondary to inadequate pain control |
| Drug-seeking behaviors | Directed or concerted efforts on the part of the patient to obtain opioid medication or to ensure an adequate medication supply; may be an appropriate response to inadequately treated pain |
| Therapeutic dependence | Patients with adequate pain relief may demonstrate drug-seeking behaviors because they fear not only the reemergence of pain but perhaps also the emergence of withdrawal symptoms |
| Pseudo-opioid resistance | Adequate pain relief continue to report persistent severe pain to prevent reduction in current opioid analgesic dose |
| Opioid-induced hyperalgesia | A neuroplastic change in pain perception resulting in an increase in pain sensitivity to painful stimuli, thereby decreasing the analgesic effects of opioids |
EDS and Chronic Pain News & Info 