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Professor Christopher Eccleston, Director of the Bath Centre for Pain Research, presented recent data on advances in understanding the causes of persistent nerve pain in adults this week.

The presentation was made at the International Neuropathic Pain Meeting in Athens, attended by the world’s experts seeking to share advances in pharmalogical, surgical, physical and psychological treatments. To learn more about the work of Professor Eccleston and the BCPR you can view their publications on PubMed.

So called “neuropathic” pain can be caused by disease (e.g. cancer), from accident (e.g. amputation) or from causes were have yet to discover (e.g. facial pain). Neuropathic pain is one of the most challenging forms of pain problems, being very difficult to manage. It can destroy people’s lives, leaving them struggling to find ways to cope. Seven per cent of adults in the UK are believed to have pain that arises from damaged nerves, with as many as five per cent reporting severe pain.

Professor Eccleston presented findings from his work on attentional mechanisms of analgesia, and the use of attention as possible new targets for pharmacological intervention.

He also contributed to a debate on the use of strong painkillers for people with chronic pain, focussing on the barriers to treatment effectiveness.