Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Analgesia

Analgesia is the relief or absence of pain achieved without loss of consciousness, and it encompasses both the clinical goal of controlling pain and the physiological mechanisms that suppress nociceptive signaling. Pain arises when nociceptors transduce noxious stimuli and relay signals through the spinal cord to th…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 7 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 36× across the literature 🗓 Reviewed June 2026

Overview

Analgesia is the relief or absence of pain achieved without loss of consciousness, and it encompasses both the clinical goal of controlling pain and the physiological mechanisms that suppress nociceptive signaling. Pain arises when nociceptors transduce noxious stimuli and relay signals through the spinal cord to the brain; analgesia interrupts or dampens this pathway at peripheral, spinal, or central levels. Pharmacological approaches span several classes. Opioids act at mu, delta, and kappa receptors to inhibit pain transmission and are mainstays for moderate to severe and postoperative pain, while non-opioid agents such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and novel synthetic compounds target inflammatory mediators and other pathways. Local and regional techniques, including epidural and nerve-targeted anesthesia and emerging sodium-channel-blocking agents, provide site-specific relief. Non-pharmacological strategies are increasingly recognized; for example, music-based interventions can engage endogenous opioid release to produce analgesia in chronic pain. Effective analgesia is tailored to the type, intensity, and duration of pain, often through multimodal regimens that combine mechanisms to improve relief while limiting side effects and the risks of tolerance and dependence. It is central to perioperative care, cancer pain management, obstetrics, and chronic pain medicine, where the aim is to reduce suffering and preserve function and quality of life.

Research published in this journal

7 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 7 articles above have been cited 36 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Analgesia, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in International Journal of Anesthesia.

Journal editorial board
John Bebawy · United States Pradipta Bhakta · Ireland Mainul Haque · United Kingdom

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.