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Review of Neuropathic Pain Screening and Assessment Tools

  • Neuropathic Pain (E Eisenberg, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Pain and Headache Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Chronic pain due to injury to or diseases of the nervous system, known as neuropathic pain (NP), is a common debilitating medication condition for which there are currently several symptomatically effective therapies. Therefore, early identification of NP in the primary and specialty care setting will avoid unnecessary delays in amelioration of symptoms. Given that it is associated with unique symptoms and physical exam signs, several assessment tools have been developed to aid medical practitioners in the identification of patients with NP. The majority of these tools have been developed to differentiate NP from nonNP and to quantify the severity of symptoms that define NP, and some have been used to aid in assessment of response to interventions. This focused review will describe the primary NP assessment tools that are currently available, and discuss their suitability for screening patients and for research applications. Wider use of NP assessment tools will facilitate the development of new therapies, further clarify the epidemiology of this condition, and improve the treatment of NP.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Conflict of Interest

Dr. R. Carter W. Jones III and Dr. Miroslav “Misha” Backonja reported no potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Pain Medicine, UC San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

    R. Carter W. Jones III

  2. Medical Director Neuroscience Research, CRILifetree Research, 3838 S 700 E, Suite 202, Salt Lake City, UT, 84106, USA

    Miroslav “Misha” Backonja

  3. University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53705, USA

    Miroslav “Misha” Backonja

Authors
  1. R. Carter W. Jones III
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  2. Miroslav “Misha” Backonja
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Correspondence to Miroslav “Misha” Backonja.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Neuropathic Pain

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Jones, R.C.W., Backonja, M. Review of Neuropathic Pain Screening and Assessment Tools. Curr Pain Headache Rep 17, 363 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-013-0363-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-013-0363-6

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