Chronic Pain Management: From Ancient Healing Practices to Advanced Medical Innovation

J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother. 2026 Feb 10:1-22. doi: 10.1080/15360288.2026.2624505. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Chronic pain is one of the most prevalent global health issues, significantly impacting physical and psychological health and resulting in reduced quality of life and a substantial economic burden on healthcare systems. Given its multifactorial nature, effective management of chronic pain requires a multidisciplinary approach to enhance treatment outcomes and reduce the long-term burden. This narrative review, based on relevant literature and aims to provide an extensive overview of chronic pain by tracing the evolution of its management strategies from ancient practices to modern therapeutic approaches. The review integrates the historical perspectives on pain management, including the roles of traditional and herbal medicines, acupuncture, and ayurveda in chronic pain management. It explores the evolution of pharmacological treatments, including the use of opioid and non-opioid analgesics. It covers non-pharmacological therapies such as physiotherapy and yoga, as well as integrative approaches in modern pain management. Furthermore, it highlights the recent advancements in chronic pain management, including emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, neuromodulation, and virtual reality, which have the potential to transform treatment strategies, identifies the existing barriers to effective pain management and key research gaps, to enhance future treatment outcomes and improve the quality of life of patients with chronic pain.

PMID:41665409 | DOI:10.1080/15360288.2026.2624505