The Biopsychosocial Approach to Pain Management

Abstract

Although pain research has traditionally focused on the sensory modalities and the neurological transmissions identified solely on a biological level, more recent theories (integrating the body, mind, and society) have been developed. The most heuristic perspective is known as the biopsychosocial model, with pain viewed as a dynamic interaction among and within the biological, psychological and social factors unique to each individual. Indeed, as reported by Gatchel 4, Figure 1 presents a conceptual model of these interactive processes involved in health and illness. Pain is not purely a perceptual phenomenon in that the initial injury that has caused the pain also disrupts the body’s homeostatic systems which, in turn, produce stress and the initiation of complex programs to restore homeostasis (to be discussed later in this article). In this paper, we will also examine the following: the evolution of the biopsychosocial perspective from earlier pain theories; the fundamental attributes associated with Manuscripts\biopsychosocial-pain-mgt-rjg-ndk.804\August 10, 2010 3 3 chronic pain conditions; and the biopsychosocial approach to the assessment and management of pain.