World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Pain Medicine
H-index 33

Pain Medicine

1526-2375

Published by: Oxford University Press

https://academic.oup.com/painmedicine

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Neuroscience 135 75 109 21
Medicine 644 190 310 30

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 393
Documents by Best Scientists*: 471
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 8
SCIMAGO H-index: 128
SCIMAGO SJR: 0.982
Impact Factor: 3

Overview

Top Research Topics at Pain Medicine?

The topics of Chronic pain, Physical therapy, Anesthesia, Surgery and Opioid are the focal point of discussions in the journal. Issues in Chronic pain were discussed, taking into consideration concepts from other disciplines like Alternative medicine, Depression (differential diagnoses), Internal medicine and Clinical psychology. The journal links adjacent topics like Alternative medicine with Family medicine.

In addition to Physical therapy research, it aims to explore topics under Randomized controlled trial, Physical medicine and rehabilitation, MEDLINE and Low back pain. Randomized controlled trial and Placebo are closely related fields of research discussed in it. Pain Medicine focuses on Low back pain as well as the interrelated topic of Back pain.

The Anesthesia study featured in the journal draws parallels with the field of Adverse effect. In particular, the Surgery works presented emphasize discussions on Lumbar. The work tackled in the journal goes beyond the discipline of Opioid as it also encompasses Medical prescription.

  • Chronic pain (27.73%)
  • Physical therapy (24.82%)
  • Anesthesia (24.74%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • The Unequal Burden of Pain: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Pain (821 citations)
  • Predicting aberrant behaviors in opioid-treated patients: preliminary validation of the Opioid Risk Tool. (727 citations)
  • Proposed new diagnostic criteria for complex regional pain syndrome. (682 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Pain Medicine:

The most cited articles aim to foster the development of research in Chronic pain, Physical therapy, Anesthesia, Surgery and Opioid. The most cited papers explore research in Low back pain and overlapping concepts in Back pain to expand the discourse in Physical therapy. Issues in Anesthesia were discussed in the most cited articles, taking into consideration concepts from other disciplines like Adverse effect and Randomized controlled trial.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

  • Internal medicine
  • Surgery
  • Disease

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The journal aims to foster the development of research in Physical therapy, Chronic pain, Anesthesia, MEDLINE and Internal medicine. Meta-analysis, Randomized controlled trial, Psychological intervention and Anxiety are some topics wherein Physical therapy research discussed in it have an impact. It holds forums on Anxiety that merges themes from other disciplines such as Clinical psychology and Depression (differential diagnoses).

It addresses concerns in Chronic pain which are intertwined with other disciplines, such as Pain management, Intervention (counseling), Family medicine, Mood and Opioid. Anesthesia studies presented in it focus on topics such as Analgesic and Neuropathic pain. The presented Internal medicine study covers related areas such as Confidence interval and also touches on topics like In patient.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • Persistent Spinal Pain Syndrome: A Proposal for Failed Back Surgery Syndrome and ICD-11. (11 citations)
  • A Comparative Study of Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Spondyloarthritis, and Sjögren's Syndrome; Impact of the Disease on Quality of Life, Psychological Adjustment, and Use of Coping Strategies. (9 citations)
  • Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Treatment of Chronic Pain. (6 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

The top authors publishing in Pain Medicine (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Zachary L McCormick (82 papers) published 18 papers at the last edition, 10 less than at the previous edition,
  • Rollin M. Gallagher (70 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
  • Nikolai Bogduk (62 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 3 less than at the previous edition,
  • David A. Fishbain (56 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • Lynn R. Webster (53 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Pain Medicine (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Veterans Health Administration (181 papers) published 21 papers at the last edition, 7 less than at the previous edition,
  • Mayo Clinic (167 papers) published 32 papers at the last edition, 6 more than at the previous edition,
  • Stanford University (162 papers) published 13 papers at the last edition, 14 less than at the previous edition,
  • University of Washington (152 papers) published 19 papers at the last edition, 3 more than at the previous edition,
  • University of Pennsylvania (140 papers) published 7 papers at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 7.80% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 28.54% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 12.90% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 10.99% of all publications and 47.57% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

  • Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
  • Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
  • Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
  • Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
  • Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Career Opportunities in Pain Medicine

While the field of pain medicine offers interesting topics for research, it also provides a wide range of career paths that one can venture into. Those interested in specializing in this field can explore roles such as pain medicine physicians, anesthesiologists, physical therapists, and clinical research scientists, all contributing to the overall understanding and betterment of pain management techniques. Another notable career path within this domain is becoming a speech-language pathologist with a focus on pain medicine. A speech pathologist, relying on their expertise in muscle therapy, can provide therapeutic support for patients experiencing chronic pain due to muscle anomalies or neurological impairments. Further, exploring specializations within location-specific settings can open up interesting opportunities as well. For instance, individuals looking to establish themselves in the Southern United States might find it useful to explore how to initiate a career in their desired field in that region specifically. For example, if you are considering a profession as a speech therapist, understanding the specific requirements and pathways in an area can be invaluable. Those interested in learning more about how to become a speech therapist in Alabama. By doing so, potential professionals can make a well-informed decision about their career in pain medicine, ensuring they are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to excel in their chosen path.

Top Publications

  • Pain Management Best Practices from Multispecialty Organizations during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Public Health Crises

    (2020)
    220 Citations
  • Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: Practical Diagnostic and Treatment Guidelines, 5th Edition

    (2022)
    114 Citations
  • Persistent Spinal Pain Syndrome: A Proposal for Failed Back Surgery Syndrome and ICD-11.

    Nick Christelis;Brian Simpson;Marc Russo;Michael Stanton-Hicks

    (2021)
    114 Citations
  • A Biopsychosocial Model of Chronic Pain for Older Adults.

    Christine Miaskowski;Fiona Blyth;Francesca Nicosia;Mary Haan

    (2020)
    93 Citations
  • A Systematic Literature Review of Spine Neurostimulation Therapies for the Treatment of Pain.

    (2020)
    67 Citations
  • Group Differences Between Countries and Between Languages in Pain-Related Beliefs, Coping, and Catastrophizing in Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review

    Saurab Sharma;Saurab Sharma;Alexandra Ferreira-Valente;Amanda C de C Williams;J Haxby Abbott

    (2020)
    62 Citations
  • The Early Impact of COVID-19 on Chronic Pain: A Cross-Sectional Investigation of a Large Online Sample of Individuals with Chronic Pain in the United States, April to May, 2020.

    Chung Jung Mun;Claudia M Campbell;Lakeya S McGill;Rachel V Aaron

    (2021)
    62 Citations
  • Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Lumbar Medial Branch Thermal Radiofrequency Neurotomy, Stratified for Diagnostic Methods and Procedural Technique

    Byron J Schneider;Lisa Doan;Marc K Maes;Kevin R Martinez

    (2020)
    62 Citations
  • Percutaneous Peripheral Nerve Stimulation of the Medial Branch Nerves for the Treatment of Chronic Axial Back Pain in Patients After Radiofrequency Ablation

    (2021)
    62 Citations

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For those interested in broadening their expertise beyond traditional medicine, several online degree options offer flexible pathways into healthcare careers. Aspiring nurses, for example, can explore psych nurse practitioner programs, which prepare professionals to specialize in mental health, an area with growing demand.

Nutrition also plays a critical role in patient care, making an online nutrition degree a valuable option for those looking to support wellness and disease prevention through diet and lifestyle guidance.

For healthcare professionals aiming to advance into management roles, pursuing the cheapest online MBA healthcare programs can provide essential business acumen tailored to the complexities of healthcare systems, improving leadership and operational skills.

Additionally, non-nurses interested in entering the nursing field can benefit from accelerated nursing programs for non nurses online, which offer an expedited route to becoming a registered nurse, blending convenience with comprehensive clinical training.

These diverse online degree options not only complement traditional medical studies but also open up multiple career pathways, catering to a wide range of professional interests within the healthcare landscape.

Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal

Recently Published Articles