The words used for pain are precise, and each one points towards a particular mechanism. This glossary defines the 61 terms you are likely to meet in a medical report, together with their equivalents in the six languages of the site.
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terms defined
A
Recent pain of limited duration, usually less than three months, that acts as an alarm signal: it warns of tissue damage and settles as the injury heals.
Equivalents : FR Douleur aiguë · DE Akuter Schmerz · LB Akut Péng · PT Dor aguda · ES Dolor agudo
Pain triggered by a stimulus that is normally painless: the touch of clothing, a draught of air or a light stroke of the skin becomes painful.
Equivalents : FR Allodynie · DE Allodynie · LB Allodynie · PT Alodinia · ES Alodinia
The removal or marked reduction of the sensation of pain, without loss of consciousness and without abolishing touch, temperature or the other sensations.
Equivalents : FR Analgésie · DE Analgesie · LB Analgesie · PT Analgesia · ES Analgesia
A medicine intended to reduce or abolish pain: paracetamol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and weak or strong opioids such as codeine and morphine.
Equivalents : FR Analgésique (antalgique) · DE Analgetikum (Schmerzmittel) · LB Analgetikum (Péngmëttel) · PT Analgésico (antálgico) · ES Analgésico (antiálgico)
Inflammation of a joint, with night pain, swelling, warmth and prolonged morning stiffness. It may be infective, crystal-induced or autoimmune in origin.
Equivalents : FR Arthrite · DE Arthritis · LB Arthritis (Gelenkentzündung) · PT Artrite · ES Artritis
B
A brief and intense flare of pain occurring despite effective background treatment. It requires a fast-acting rescue medicine, prescribed in advance so it can be taken immediately.
Equivalents : FR Accès douloureux paroxystique · DE Durchbruchschmerz · LB Paroxystesch Péngattack (Duerchbrochspéng) · PT Dor irruptiva · ES Dolor irruptivo
C
Pain caused by the tumour itself, by its spread or by its treatments. Often mixed in mechanism, it calls for specialist management planned in advance.
Equivalents : FR Douleur cancéreuse · DE Tumorschmerz · LB Kriibspéng · PT Dor oncológica · ES Dolor oncológico
A tendency to ruminate about pain, to magnify the threat it represents and to feel helpless in the face of it. A major predictor of the transition to chronic pain.
Equivalents : FR Catastrophisme · DE Katastrophisieren · LB Katastrophiséieren · PT Catastrofização da dor · ES Catastrofismo
Long-lasting amplification of pain signals within the spinal cord and the brain. It explains why pain can persist long after the original injury has healed.
Equivalents : FR Sensibilisation centrale · DE Zentrale Sensibilisierung · LB Zentral Sensibiliséierung · PT Sensibilização central · ES Sensibilización central
Pain that persists or recurs for more than three months, beyond the expected healing time. It loses its alarm function and becomes a condition in its own right.
Equivalents : FR Douleur chronique · DE Chronischer Schmerz · LB Chronesch Péng · PT Dor crónica · ES Dolor crónico
A medicine whose primary purpose is not pain relief — an antidepressant, an anti-epileptic, a steroid — but which relieves certain kinds of pain, particularly neuropathic pain.
Equivalents : FR Co-analgésique (adjuvant) · DE Koanalgetikum (Adjuvans) · LB Ko-Analgetikum (Adjuvans) · PT Coanalgésico (adjuvante) · ES Coanalgésico (fármaco adyuvante)
A structured, short psychological therapy that targets the thoughts and behaviours maintaining pain and avoidance. Its effectiveness in chronic pain is well established.
Equivalents : FR Thérapie cognitivo-comportementale (TCC) · DE Kognitive Verhaltenstherapie (KVT) · LB Kognitiv Verhalenstherapie (KVT) · PT Terapia cognitivo-comportamental (TCC) · ES Terapia cognitivo-conductual (TCC)
Intense, intermittent visceral pain caused by a hollow organ contracting against an obstruction, as in renal colic from a stone or biliary colic from a gallstone.
Equivalents : FR Colique · DE Kolik · LB Kolik · PT Cólica · ES Cólico
Regional pain out of all proportion to the injury that triggered it, with changes in blood flow, sweating and tissue trophism. Formerly called reflex sympathetic dystrophy.
Equivalents : FR Syndrome douloureux régional complexe (SDRC) · DE Komplexes regionales Schmerzsyndrom (CRPS) · LB Komplext regionaalt Péngsyndrom (CRPS) · PT Síndrome de dor regional complexa (SDRC) · ES Síndrome de dolor regional complejo (SDRC)
D
A physical or psychological need to keep taking a substance. Physical dependence, expected with long-term opioid use, is not the same thing as addiction.
Equivalents : FR Dépendance · DE Abhängigkeit · LB Ofhängegkeet · PT Dependência · ES Dependencia
A ten-item screening tool used to identify neuropathic pain, combining the patient's description with a brief sensory examination. A score of 4 or more out of 10 makes the diagnosis highly likely.
Equivalents : FR Questionnaire DN4 · DE DN4-Fragebogen · LB DN4-Froebou (Questionnaire) · PT Questionário DN4 · ES Cuestionario DN4
An unpleasant abnormal sensation, either spontaneous or evoked, often described as burning or as a tight band. It points to damage to the nervous system.
Equivalents : FR Dysesthésie · DE Dysästhesie · LB Dysästhesie · PT Disestesia · ES Disestesia
Painful menstrual periods. Primary when no abnormality is found, and secondary when it results from a cause such as endometriosis or a fibroid.
Equivalents : FR Dysménorrhée · DE Dysmenorrhoe (Regelschmerzen) · LB Dysmenorrho (péngvoll Reegelen) · PT Dismenorreia · ES Dismenorrea
E
The presence of tissue resembling the lining of the womb outside the uterus, a common cause of chronic pelvic pain, very painful periods and sometimes infertility.
Equivalents : FR Endométriose · DE Endometriose · LB Endometriose · PT Endometriose · ES Endometriosis
F
A syndrome of chronic widespread pain associated with fatigue, disturbed sleep and difficulty concentrating. Diagnosed clinically, it is the prototype of nociplastic pain.
Equivalents : FR Fibromyalgie · DE Fibromyalgie · LB Fibromyalgie · PT Fibromialgia · ES Fibromialgia
H
The medical term for any pain in the head, whether primary (migraine, tension-type headache) or secondary to another condition such as infection, injury or medication overuse.
Equivalents : FR Céphalée · DE Kopfschmerz (Zephalgie) · LB Kappwéi (Zephalgie) · PT Cefaleia · ES Cefalea
An exaggerated pain response to a stimulus that is already painful under normal circumstances. A light pinprick produces intense and prolonged pain.
Equivalents : FR Hyperalgésie · DE Hyperalgesie · LB Hyperalgesie · PT Hiperalgesia · ES Hiperalgesia
I
The body's defensive reaction, combining redness, heat, swelling and pain. The chemical mediators released during inflammation sensitise nociceptors directly, so the area becomes tender.
Equivalents : FR Inflammation · DE Entzündung · LB Entzündung · PT Inflamação · ES Inflamación
Local injection of a steroid or an anaesthetic into a joint, into a bursa or close to a nerve root, in order to reduce inflammation and pain.
Equivalents : FR Infiltration · DE Infiltration (Injektion) · LB Infiltratioun · PT Infiltração · ES Infiltración
K
An excessive fear of movement, driven by fear of causing injury or of making pain worse. It maintains physical deconditioning and disability.
Equivalents : FR Kinésiophobie · DE Kinesiophobie (Bewegungsangst) · LB Kinesiophobie (Angscht virum Beweegen) · PT Cinesiofobia · ES Kinesiofobia
L
Pain in the lower back, between the lower ribs and the buttock crease. The leading cause of disability worldwide; more than 90% of cases are non-specific.
Equivalents : FR Lombalgie · DE Kreuzschmerz (Rückenschmerz) · LB Réckepéng (Lumbago) · PT Lombalgia (dor lombar) · ES Lumbalgia (dolor lumbar)
M
A primary headache occurring in attacks, often throbbing and one-sided, made worse by exertion and accompanied by nausea, photophobia and phonophobia.
Equivalents : FR Migraine · DE Migräne · LB Migraine · PT Enxaqueca · ES Migraña
The coexistence in the same person of more than one pain mechanism, for example a nociceptive component and a neuropathic component in sciatica caused by a prolapsed disc.
Equivalents : FR Douleur mixte · DE Mischschmerz (Mixed Pain) · LB Gemëscht Péng · PT Dor mista · ES Dolor mixto
The combination of several medicines and techniques acting at different levels of the pain pathway, to improve relief while limiting the side effects of each.
Equivalents : FR Analgésie multimodale · DE Multimodale Analgesie · LB Multimodal Analgesie · PT Analgesia multimodal · ES Analgesia multimodal
N
Pain in the neck and cervical spine, frequently related to prolonged postures, to stress or to degenerative change in the cervical vertebrae.
Equivalents : FR Cervicalgie · DE Nackenschmerz (Zervikalgie) · LB Genéckpéng · PT Cervicalgia · ES Cervicalgia
Injection of a local anaesthetic next to a nerve or a plexus, for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, most often guided by ultrasound.
Equivalents : FR Bloc nerveux · DE Nervenblockade · LB Nerveblock · PT Bloqueio nervoso · ES Bloqueo nervioso
Pain felt in the area supplied by a particular nerve, typically as brief and repeated electric shocks, as in trigeminal neuralgia of the face.
Equivalents : FR Névralgie · DE Neuralgie · LB Neuralgie · PT Nevralgia · ES Neuralgia
Pain caused by a lesion or a disease of the nervous system itself. It typically presents as burning, electric shocks, tingling, pins and needles or numbness.
Equivalents : FR Douleur neuropathique · DE Neuropathischer Schmerz (Nervenschmerz) · LB Neuropathesch Péng · PT Dor neuropática · ES Dolor neuropático
The appearance or worsening of symptoms driven by negative expectations, for example after reading a package leaflet or a piece of alarming information.
Equivalents : FR Effet nocebo · DE Nocebo-Effekt · LB Nocebo-Effet · PT Efeito nocebo · ES Efecto nocebo
The set of processes by which the nervous system detects, transmits and processes noxious signals. Nociception can occur without any pain being consciously felt.
Equivalents : FR Nociception · DE Nozizeption · LB Nozizeptioun · PT Nociceção · ES Nocicepción
Pain caused by stimulation of the nociceptors during actual or threatened damage to tissue, such as a fracture, a burn or inflammation. The nervous system itself works normally.
Equivalents : FR Douleur nociceptive · DE Nozizeptiver Schmerz · LB Nozizeptiv Péng · PT Dor nociceptiva · ES Dolor nociceptivo
A free nerve ending specialised in detecting potentially damaging stimuli: strong pressure, intense heat, extreme cold, or chemicals released during inflammation.
Equivalents : FR Nocicepteur · DE Nozizeptor · LB Nozizeptor · PT Nocicetor · ES Nociceptor
The third mechanism recognised by the IASP: pain arising from altered processing of signals by the nervous system, with no identifiable damage to tissue or nerve, as in fibromyalgia.
Equivalents : FR Douleur nociplastique · DE Noziplastischer Schmerz · LB Noziplastesch Péng · PT Dor nociplástica · ES Dolor nociplástico
A medicine that reduces inflammation and pain by blocking the cyclo-oxygenase enzymes (ibuprofen, diclofenac, naproxen). It carries gastrointestinal, kidney and cardiovascular risks.
Equivalents : FR Anti-inflammatoire non stéroïdien (AINS) · DE Nichtsteroidales Antirheumatikum (NSAR) · LB Net-steroidalen Entzündungshemmer (AINS) · PT Anti-inflamatório não esteroide (AINE) · ES Antiinflamatorio no esteroideo (AINE)
Self-rating of pain intensity on a scale from 0 to 10. The standard tool in practice: 1 to 3 is mild pain, 4 to 6 moderate and 7 to 10 severe.
Equivalents : FR Échelle numérique (EN) · DE Numerische Rating-Skala (NRS) · LB Numeresch Skala (EN) · PT Escala numérica da dor (EN) · ES Escala numérica del dolor (EN)
O
A medicine derived from opium or made synthetically (morphine, oxycodone, tramadol, fentanyl) that acts on the opioid receptors. Reserved for specific indications and limited durations.
Equivalents : FR Opioïde · DE Opioid · LB Opioid · PT Opioide · ES Opioide
A degenerative disease of joint cartilage causing mechanical pain, brief morning stiffness and progressive limitation of movement. It most often affects the knee, hip, hands and spine.
Equivalents : FR Arthrose · DE Arthrose · LB Arthrose · PT Artrose (osteoartrite) · ES Artrosis
P
The lowest intensity of a stimulus at which a sensation begins to be felt as painful. It varies between individuals and with the moment and the context.
Equivalents : FR Seuil douloureux · DE Schmerzschwelle · LB Péngschwell · PT Limiar da dor · ES Umbral doloroso
A first-line painkiller and antipyretic for mild to moderate pain. The maximum daily dose must be observed strictly because an overdose causes serious liver toxicity.
Equivalents : FR Paracétamol · DE Paracetamol · LB Paracetamol · PT Paracetamol · ES Paracetamol
An abnormal, spontaneous sensation that is not in itself painful: tingling, pins and needles, a feeling of tight leathery skin or of water trickling over it.
Equivalents : FR Paresthésie · DE Parästhesie · LB Parästhesie · PT Parestesia · ES Parestesia
A structured approach that helps patients understand their pain, know how their treatments work and build the skills to manage the condition day to day.
Equivalents : FR Éducation thérapeutique · DE Patientenschulung · LB Therapeutesch Patienteneducatioun · PT Educação terapêutica · ES Educación terapéutica del paciente
Damage to the peripheral nerves causing pain, numbness and weakness, most often related to diabetes, alcohol, chemotherapy or a vitamin deficiency.
Equivalents : FR Neuropathie périphérique · DE Periphere Neuropathie (Polyneuropathie) · LB Peripher Neuropathie · PT Neuropatia periférica · ES Neuropatía periférica
A lowering of the activation threshold of the nociceptors under the influence of inflammatory substances: the injured area becomes hypersensitive to touch and movement.
Equivalents : FR Sensibilisation périphérique · DE Periphere Sensibilisierung · LB Peripher Sensibiliséierung · PT Sensibilização periférica · ES Sensibilización periférica
Pain felt in a limb that has been amputated. It results from a reorganisation of nerve circuits and of the map of the body held within the brain.
Equivalents : FR Douleur du membre fantôme · DE Phantomschmerz · LB Phantompéng · PT Dor do membro fantasma · ES Dolor del miembro fantasma
Rehabilitation through movement, graded exercise and manual techniques; the cornerstone of treatment for musculoskeletal pain and for fear of movement.
Equivalents : FR Kinésithérapie (physiothérapie) · DE Physiotherapie · LB Kinesitherapie (Physiotherapie) · PT Fisioterapia · ES Fisioterapia
A genuine improvement in symptoms produced by the patient's positive expectations and by the context of care, independently of any active ingredient.
Equivalents : FR Effet placebo · DE Placebo-Effekt · LB Placebo-Effet · PT Efeito placebo · ES Efecto placebo
Neuropathic pain persisting more than three months after an episode of shingles, in the area of skin affected by the rash. The risk increases with age.
Equivalents : FR Névralgie post-zostérienne · DE Post-Zoster-Neuralgie · LB Post-zosteresch Neuralgie · PT Nevralgia pós-herpética · ES Neuralgia posherpética
Acute pain following a surgical operation. Preventing it, starting in the operating theatre, reduces the risk of it developing into chronic post-surgical pain.
Equivalents : FR Douleur postopératoire · DE Postoperativer Schmerz · LB Postoperativ Péng · PT Dor pós-operatória · ES Dolor postoperatorio
R
Signs that call for prompt medical assessment: fever, weight loss, neurological deficit, unusual night pain, a history of cancer or a recent injury.
Equivalents : FR Signaux d'alerte (drapeaux rouges) · DE Warnzeichen (Red Flags) · LB Alarmzeechen (rout Fändelen) · PT Sinais de alarme (bandeiras vermelhas) · ES Señales de alarma (banderas rojas)
Pain felt at a distance from the affected organ because nerve pathways converge: left arm pain during a heart attack, or shoulder pain arising from the liver or gallbladder.
Equivalents : FR Douleur projetée (référée) · DE Übertragener Schmerz (Head-Zone) · LB Projizéiert Péng (referéiert Péng) · PT Dor referida (projetada) · ES Dolor referido (proyectado)
S
Pain radiating down the leg along the path of the sciatic nerve, most often because a nerve root is compressed by a prolapsed intervertebral disc.
Equivalents : FR Sciatique (lombosciatalgie) · DE Ischias (Lumboischialgie) · LB Ischias (Lombosciatalgie) · PT Ciática (lombociatalgia) · ES Ciática (lumbociática)
T
A progressive reduction in the effect of a medicine, notably an opioid, so that higher doses are needed to obtain the same degree of relief.
Equivalents : FR Tolérance · DE Toleranz (Gewöhnung) · LB Toleranz · PT Tolerância · ES Tolerancia
The application of a low-intensity electrical current to the skin through electrodes, in order to modulate the transmission of pain messages to the brain.
Equivalents : FR Neurostimulation transcutanée (TENS) · DE Transkutane elektrische Nervenstimulation (TENS) · LB Transkutan Nervestimulatioun (TENS) · PT Neuroestimulação elétrica transcutânea (TENS) · ES Neuroestimulación eléctrica transcutánea (TENS)
V
A 10 cm line on which the patient sets a marker between “no pain” and “the worst pain imaginable”. A simple and reproducible way of measuring pain intensity.
Equivalents : FR Échelle visuelle analogique (EVA) · DE Visuelle Analogskala (VAS) · LB Visuell Analogskala (EVA) · PT Escala visual analógica (EVA) · ES Escala visual analógica (EVA)
W
A three-step framework proposed by the World Health Organization to guide the prescribing of painkillers, from non-opioids through weak opioids to strong opioids.
Equivalents : FR Paliers de l'OMS · DE WHO-Stufenschema · LB WHO-Stufen · PT Escada analgésica da OMS · ES Escalera analgésica de la OMS
The set of symptoms that appear when a treatment, particularly an opioid, is stopped abruptly. It calls for a gradual and supervised reduction in dose.
Equivalents : FR Sevrage · DE Entzug · LB Entzuch · PT Síndrome de abstinência · ES Síndrome de abstinencia (retirada)
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