Opioid Sensitivity of Chronic Noncancer Pain (Progress in Pain Research and Management, V. 14)

This book provides fresh perspectives on opioid sensitivity of chronic noncancer pain and covers new aspects of the mechanisms of action, therapeutic evaluation, and clinical use of opioids. Particular attention is devoted to neuropathic pain. Although neuropathic pain has been viewed in the past as insensitive to morphine, many clinical research groups today have found evidence for efficacy of opioids on this type of pain. Models of neuropathic, inflammatory, ischemic, visceral, and musculoskeletal pain provide valuable data fundamental to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying chronic pain. This book emphasizes the need for controlled clinical studies that will improve pharmacological treatment of these types of pain.