Advancing Chronic Pain Management: Fostering Resilience, Recovery, and Systemic Change

Chronic pain represents a pervasive global health challenge, with an estimated worldwide prevalence of 30% or higher. Chronic pain is one of the most common reasons adults seek health care, yet current interventions have limited effectiveness estimated at less than 30% reduction in physical discomfort with negligible impacts on function and quality of life. Overwhelmingly, people with chronic pain report dissatisfaction with the quality of pain management services, criticizing providers’ lack of empathy, specialized knowledge, and patient-centered communication skills. Additionally, existing pain care is often siloed and costly, placing a strain on providers and healthcare systems. Past failures of a pathological focus in chronic pain management have led to a shift towards understanding pain as a multidimensional personal experience. Advancing chronic pain management requires multifaceted, patient centered strategies that encompass individual biological, psychological, and social factors. Furthermore, the ongoing global opioid crisis underscores the urgent need for innovative, non-pharmacological interventions and proactive public health strategies to prevent and manage chronic pain effectively.

This Research Topic invites contributions that explore the critical role of public health assessment, education, and health promotion in transforming chronic pain management. We aim to highlight how salutogenic, integrative, and process-based models can be effectively translated and implemented within public health initiatives, emphasizing on building patient and community resilience, nurturing growth, and facilitating pain recovery by providing a pathway towards positive adaptation and self-management.

We welcome original research, reviews, perspectives, and methodological advancements that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Public Health Educational Interventions: Development, evaluation, and implementation of community-based and population-level educational programs designed to enhance pain literacy, promote self-management strategies, and foster resilience in individuals at risk for or living with chronic pain.

• Professional Education and Training: Investigations into innovative educational paradigms for healthcare professionals (e.g., physical therapists, primary care providers, public health workers) that equip them with the knowledge and skills to adopt salutogenic, integrative, and process-based approaches to pain management within a public health framework.

• Health Promotion and Prevention Strategies: Studies focusing on public health campaigns and initiatives aimed at preventing transitions from acute to chronic pain, reducing pain-related disability, and encouraging healthy coping mechanisms.

• Policy, Advocacy, and Systemic Change: Research examining how public health education and promotion can inform policy development, advocate for integrative pain management services, and facilitate systemic changes that reduce reliance on pharmacological interventions and mitigate the opioid crisis.

• Dissemination and Implementation Science: Studies on the effective scaling, sustainability, and adaptation of evidence-based salutogenic and integrative pain models within diverse public health settings and populations.

• Measurement and Outcomes: Development and validation of public health metrics to assess the impact of educational and promotional efforts on population-level pain recovery, resilience, quality of life, and healthcare utilization.

• Equity and Access: Research addressing disparities in individual and social determinants of health, including pain education and access to integrative pain management resources, particularly in underserved communities.

This Research Topic seeks to generate high-impact evidence and foster interdisciplinary dialogue that will advance the field of public health in chronic pain management. By embracing salutogenesis and integrative approaches, we aim to contribute to a more resilient, recovery-oriented, and equitable landscape for pain care, addressing one of the most pressing health challenges of our time.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: chronic pain, chronic pain management

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.