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Pain Medicine

Pain Medicine is a respected, peer-reviewed journal and an official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, publishing research and scholarly work across the field of pain medicine.

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Subject Anesthesiology, Medicine, General & Internal
Impact Factor 3
Quartile Q1
Open Access Type Hybrid
ISSN 1526-2375
eISSN 1526-4637
Invitation Only No
Cost Range Open access charges are $5,036 for non-members and $4,029 for members.

Submission Instructions

Pain Medicine accepts the following article types. Click on an article type to view submission instructions.

Original Research Article

Cover Letter Any use of AI or natural language processing tools must be disclosed in the cover letter and described in the Methods or Acknowledgements section.
Abstract A structured abstract of 250 words or less must be included as page two, with headings as appropriate: Objective, Design, Setting, Subjects, Methods, Results, and Conclusions; up to six keywords must be provided.
Manuscript Original Research Articles must not exceed 4,000 words; word count excludes title page, abstract, references, tables, and figures.
References List all authors unless there are more than six, in which case list the first three followed by 'et al.'; preprints may be cited if clearly labeled and include the preprint DOI; limit: 50 references.
Figures & Tables Only editable table and figure files are allowed, using formats such as eps, pdf, cdr, doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, and xlsx; TIF/TIFF is acceptable only for figure images like x-rays, CT scans, and ultrasound images.
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Review Article

Cover Letter Any use of AI or natural language processing tools must be disclosed in the cover letter as well as in the Methods or Acknowledgements section.
Abstract A structured abstract (required, max 250 words) must be provided using appropriate headings such as Objective, Design, Setting, Subjects, Methods, Results, and Conclusions, and must avoid abbreviations and reference citations; include 2–10 keywords (up to six noted in one place, 2–10 specified elsewhere).
Manuscript Review Articles must not exceed 5,000 words and should follow this structure: Title page; Abstract; Introduction; Methods (including data source and statistical analyses); Results; Discussion (including clinical significance when appropriate); Conclusions; Acknowledgments; References; Tables and legends; Figures and legends.
References References must ultimately follow AMA style, numbered in brackets in order of appearance and listed numerically, listing all authors unless there are more than six (then list the first three followed by 'et al.'); there is no maximum reference count for Review Articles.
Figures & Tables Tables must be provided as separate editable files (not embedded) each with a title, column heads, explanatory legend, defined symbols/abbreviations, and units, and numbered consecutively with figures, which must be submitted as individual image files.
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Special Article

Cover Letter If natural language processing or other AI tools are used, this use must be disclosed in the cover letter.
Abstract A structured abstract (required) must be on page two, not exceed 250 words, avoid abbreviations and references, and use headings as appropriate: Objective, Design, Setting, Subjects, Methods, Results, and Conclusions; 2–10 keywords must be provided.
Manuscript Special Articles must not exceed 5,000 words (excluding title page, abstract, references, tables, and figures) and should follow this structure: Title page; Abstract; Introduction; Methods (including data source and statistical analyses); Results; Discussion (including clinical significance when appropriate); Conclusions; Acknowledgments; References; Tables and legends; Figures and legends.
References References must follow AMA style (AMA Manual of Style, 11th Edition), be numbered with Arabic numerals in brackets in order of appearance and listed numerically, listing all authors unless there are more than six (then list the first three followed by 'et al.'); Special Articles are limited to 75 references and preprints may be cited if clearly labeled with preprint DOI.
Figures & Tables Tables must each be supplied as separate editable files (not embedded in the manuscript text) and figures must be uploaded as individual image files.
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Research Letter

Cover Letter If AI or natural language processing tools are used, their use must be disclosed in the cover letter.
Abstract Research Letters must not include an abstract.
Manuscript Research Letters must not exceed 1,000 words (excluding title page, references, tables, and figures) and must begin with 'Dear Editor' followed by sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.
References Research Letters may include up to 10 references; references may be in any readable, verifiable style at first submission but must follow AMA style upon acceptance.
Figures & Tables Research Letters may include up to 2 small tables or figures, with tables provided as separate editable files and figures submitted as individual image files, all numbered consecutively with titles and legends.
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Commentary

Cover Letter Any use of AI or natural language processing tools must be disclosed in the cover letter as well as in the Methods or Acknowledgements section.
Abstract Commentaries must not include an abstract.
Manuscript Commentaries must not exceed 1,500 words; word count excludes title page, abstract, references, tables, and figures.
References References may be in any readable, verifiable style at first submission but must follow AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition, upon acceptance. A maximum of 10 references are permitted.
Figures & Tables All tables and figures must be numbered consecutively in order of appearance and include a legend. A maximum of 1 table/figure is permitted.
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Editorial

Cover Letter Use of AI tools must be disclosed in the cover letter if applicable.
Abstract Editorials must not include an abstract.
Manuscript Editorials are invited pieces with a maximum of 1,500 words for the main text, must be double-spaced, and must not include any headings or supplementary material; the 1,500-word limit excludes the title page, references, tables, and figures.
References References must ultimately follow AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition, and Editorials may include up to 5 references (limit: 5).
Figures & Tables Each table must be provided as a separate editable file (not embedded in the text) with title, column heads, legend, defined symbols/abbreviations, and units; each figure must be submitted as an individual image file.
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Letter to the Editor

Cover Letter If AI tools are used, their use must be disclosed in the cover letter.
Abstract Letters to the Editor must not include an abstract.
Manuscript The main text file must be double-spaced and final manuscripts must use AMA Manual of Style, 11th Edition, in 12-point font and MS Word format.
References References may be in any readable, verifiable style at first submission but must follow AMA style upon acceptance; A maximum reference count of 5 for Letters is indicated.
Figures & Tables Letters to the Editor must not include tables or figures.
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Recent Publications

Repeated High-Concentration Capsaicin Applications in Older Adults With Postherpetic Neuralgia: A Real-World Study Including Trigeminal Involvement

François Jedryka, Myriam Mezzarobba, Nathalie Maignaut-Licata, Natacha Monnier, Aranzazu Diaz-Garcia, Eric Viel

10.1093/pm/pnag136
View Publication

Minimal Clinically Important Differences in Pain Extent on Self-Reported Body Maps

Sean P McDermott, Benedict J Alter, Rebecca DeSensi, Brian O’Connell, Elizabeth M Leimer, Ajay D Wasan

10.1093/pm/pnag134
View Publication

PROmoting Pain Self-Management for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain in the Military Health System, comparing health coaching to Empowered Relief: the PROs trial protocol

Julie M Fritz, Daniel I Rhon, Nora Fino, Tom H Greene, Tina A Greenlee, Deydre S Teyhen, Danielle Cook, Beth D Darnall

10.1093/pm/pnag133
View Publication

2026 PainConnect award-winning scientific poster abstracts—Salt Lake City, Utah

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10.1093/pm/pnag115
View Publication

Responding to the Letter to the Editor from Drs. Pope and Goree

Krishnan Chakravarthy, Vwaire Orhurhu

10.1093/pm/pnag127
View Publication

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to publish?

The journal offers a speedy peer-review process with an average of 3.2 weeks from manuscript submission to first decision.

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Is a cover letter required?

A cover letter is expected to indicate specific article designations such as Teaching Images and to disclose the use of AI tools, and it should summarize key manuscript information and any required declarations consistent with journal policies.

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What are the publication costs?

Authors may be able to publish Open Access using funds available through their institution’s agreement with Oxford University Press.

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Research Topics

Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation Pain Management and Opioid Use Pain Mechanisms and Treatments Spine and Intervertebral Disc Pathology Anesthesia and Pain Management

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