Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.2
2.9
Journals
JCM
Special Issues
Advances in Chronic Pain Research and Therapy
jcm-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for JCM Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Advances in Chronic Pain Research and Therapy

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Rehabilitation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2026 | Viewed by 1223

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Elena Makovac

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK
Interests: pain; autonomic nervous system; anxiety; heart rate variability; pain catastrophising; interoception; fMRI

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The field of brain-body interactions in pain and their therapeutic interventions has made remarkable progress in recent years. Various pain conditions, previously difficult to manage or understand in a holistic context, are now being explored through an integrated approach that considers both the physiological and psychological aspects of pain. A key aspect of this interaction is interoception—the brain's ability to perceive and process internal bodily sensations. This awareness of internal bodily states influences emotional responses, pain perception, and can impact therapeutic effectiveness. The consequent development of mind-body interventions has opened new possibilities for managing chronic pain. In this Special Issue, we invite authors to submit papers exploring the clinical advances in understanding brain-body interactions in pain. We also welcome research on the application and effectiveness of mind-body interventions that target both the physiological and emotional components of pain through integrated and innovative approaches.

Dr. Elena Makovac
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • chronic pain
  • pain perception
  • brain-body interactions
  • therapeutic effectiveness
  • integrated approach

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

12 pages, 527 KB  
Article
The Effect of Intravenous Lidocaine Treatment on Sleep and Quality of Life in Fibromyalgia: An Observational Study
by Halil Ibrahim Altun and Fatma Aysen Eren
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(8), 2887; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15082887 - 10 Apr 2026
Viewed by 348
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Fibromyalgia is a painful syndrome with biopsychosocial components that predominantly affects middle-aged women. This study aimed to evaluate changes in sleep quality and quality of life following intravenous (IV) lidocaine treatment in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Methods: This retrospective observational [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Fibromyalgia is a painful syndrome with biopsychosocial components that predominantly affects middle-aged women. This study aimed to evaluate changes in sleep quality and quality of life following intravenous (IV) lidocaine treatment in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Methods: This retrospective observational study included patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia who underwent intravenous lidocaine treatment at a tertiary pain clinic between June 2023 and June 2024 and had a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score > 5. The patients’ demographic data, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) scores at baseline and at 1 and 3 months post-treatment, Numerical Rating Scale (NRS-11) scores, Short Form-12 (SF-12) mental and physical component scores (MCS-12, PCS-12), and PSQI scores were recorded. Results: Overall, 51 patients were included. 92.2% of the patients were women, with a mean age of 41.6 ± 9.5 years. Statistically significant reductions in NRS-11, FIQ, and PSQI scores and increases in SF-12 component scores were observed at 1 and 3 months compared with baseline (p < 0.001). Negative correlations were found between NRS-11 and PCS-12 and MCS-12, and a positive correlation was found between FIQ and PSQI. Sleep quality showed a marked improvement at 1 month; however, attenuation of this benefit was observed at the 3-month follow-up. Conclusions: Sleep quality appeared to be associated with short-term functional outcomes, whereas pain intensity was associated with mid-term clinical status in patients with fibromyalgia. Prospective randomized controlled trials are required to confirm these findings and to determine optimal dosing and treatment schedules. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Chronic Pain Research and Therapy)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 203 KB  
Article
Heart Rate Variability Mediates the Association Between Fear of Pain and Pain Perception: An Exploratory Study in Healthy Controls
by Alessandra Venezia, Harriet Fawsitt-Jones and Elena Makovac
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(5), 1705; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15051705 - 24 Feb 2026
Viewed by 480
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Fear of pain (FoP) is a critical psychological factor influencing the experience of pain, yet the mechanisms behind this relationship remain unclear. HRV, indexed here by resting RMSSD, reflects individual differences in cardiac vagal tone and has been linked to pain [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Fear of pain (FoP) is a critical psychological factor influencing the experience of pain, yet the mechanisms behind this relationship remain unclear. HRV, indexed here by resting RMSSD, reflects individual differences in cardiac vagal tone and has been linked to pain perception and pain-related psychological processes. In this exploratory, cross-sectional study, we examined whether HRV mediates the relationship between FoP and the subjective perception of pain intensity. Methods: Twenty-two healthy participants completed several self-reported measures, including the Fear of Pain Questionnaire (FPQ-SF), and underwent an experimental cold pain induction, as well as a continuous recording of HR at rest. Mediation analysis was performed to assess the indirect effect of HRV, calculated via the Root Mean Square Successive Difference (RMSSD), on cold pain perception. Results: In correlational analyses, the Fear of Severe Pain (FoSP) subscale was associated with lower resting logRMSSD and higher cold pain ratings. In mediation models, the pattern of results was consistent with an indirect association between FoSP and cold pain ratings via logRMSSD (bootstrap 90% CI), while the direct path from FoSP to pain was not significant. Conclusions: These preliminary findings are hypothesis-generating and suggest that individual differences in resting HRV may be one physiological correlate of the fear–pain relationship in healthy controls, rather than an index of autonomic responses during pain itself. Larger longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to test temporal ordering, specificity across FoP components, and whether autonomic measures during pain better explain fear–pain coupling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Chronic Pain Research and Therapy)
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop