Analgesia: Treatment, Effects & Risks

The term analgesia is used in medicine to describe the elimination of pain. It is a pain therapy with the help of a reduction or even interruption of the excitation conduction or by drug administration.

What is analgesia?

In medical terminology, analgesia refers to the elimination of the sensation of pain with the help of medication or even by damaging cells in the central or peripheral nervous system. In medical terminology, analgesia refers to the elimination of the sensation of pain with the aid of drugs or also by damaging cells in the central or peripheral nervous system. The term is often used as a synonym for the term anesthesia, but analgesia does not eliminate all sensations. Certain sensations, such as touch sensitivity, are retained by the patient during analgesia. If there is an injury with severed sensitive nerve tissue, analgesia is usually associated with anesthesia. Thus, in principle, local (local) analgesia also involves local anesthesia because of the drugs used.

Drug forms and types

The best-known form is probably drug analgesia. Thus, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, among others, are used to treat pain. These drugs include, for example, active ingredients such as ibuprofen, metamizole or acetylsalicylic acid. Paracetamol (only analgesic, not anti-inflammatory) is also similar to the aforementioned active ingredients. These drugs are used to control mild to moderate pain and to treat inflammation and fever. For severe pain, analgesics containing morphine (opioids such as codeine, fentanyl or tramadol) are used in most cases for suppression, although these agents are usually addictive and therefore fall under the Narcotics Act. So-called migraine therapeutics (e.g. sumatriptan, ergotamine), which constrict the central blood vessels, and adjuvant analgesics (e.g. antidepressants and antiepileptics) also fall under drug analgesia. Analgesics may be administered in the form of tablets, injections, or even patches, depending on the treatment.

Therapeutic forms and types

However, not only drugs belong to analgesia in medicine. Physical pain therapy with its simplest form – the rest or immobilization of the corresponding body part – also belong to this form of treatment. In addition, the promotion of the healing process with the help of movement therapy or physiotherapy as well as massage or cold or heat applications also belong to this area. Acupuncture also falls into this area of medical treatment, as does the electrical stimulation of other stimulus receptors, which ensures that the pain is perceived less by the patient. Another alternative to medication analgesia is the use of psychology (e.g. autogenic training, hypnosis, suggestion). In extreme emergencies, however, pain cessation is sometimes only possible if the nerves are cut in a neurosurgical treatment. Not only from the medical point of view there is analgesia as insensitivity to pain. Pathological forms of insensitivity to pain are also known. These are caused either by a congenital defect or by injuries (e.g. paraplegia, nerve injuries). Thus, mutations at the SCN9A gene or CIPA syndrome, among others, can be the cause of pathological analgesia.

Advantages and significance

Meanwhile, recent developments show that patient-controlled analgesia is playing an increasingly important role in today’s world. For example, patients with chronic pain can have a pump inserted through which they can self-adjust the dose of analgesics they need. Patients are thus given the feeling that they themselves can influence the existing complaints and therefore also learn to cope better with the disease from a psychological point of view. So-called patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) offers a number of advantages in everyday clinical practice, both preoperatively, postoperatively and intraoperatively. Pain relief can be tailored to the individual needs of each patient.

Risks and side effects

Side effects of PCA are generally very minor in this regard, if one takes a closer look at the side effects of conventional pain relief procedures. For example, this form of analgesia can relieve stress prematurely, allowing the patient to mobilize more quickly. Meanwhile, PCA is of great importance for the patient’s recovery, because only a good course of therapy can also lead to the pain being relieved quickly.