Oxford Pain Network: Pain Research

Pain can be adaptive or maladaptive. On the one hand, pain is part of a vital system that protects us from harm: warning us when something is about to damage our bodies and helping us recover safely from injury and illness. It forms a fundamental human capability that lies at the heart of our sense of self-preservation and autonomy, playing a rich part in our culture and life experience. On the other hand, it can develop into persistent (chronic) pain – forming one of the greatest challenges in medicine. Whilst previously considered merely a symptom of other diseases, it is now recognised as a having the capability to exist as a disease in its own right: one in which the system that evolved to protect us becomes overactive and continually causes pain. This has made chronic pain the leading global cause of disability, with unparalleled socioeconomic cost.

Researchers at Oxford have and continue to play a major role in understanding the anatomy, neurobiology and physiology of the pain system, and how and why it causes chronic and persistent pain.