Conditioned pain modulation (the diffuse noxious inhibitory control-like effect): its relevance for acute and chronic pain states

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There is a growing body of knowledge on pain modulation in various disease states. This article reviews the state of the art regarding the clinical relevance of pain inhibition as revealed by 'pain inhibits pain' test paradigms, trying to organize the clinically relevant data, and emphasizing the pathophysiology of pain. In line with recent experts' recommendations, the term conditioned pain modulation (CPM) will be used, replacing the previous terms 'diffuse noxious inhibitory control (DNIC)' or 'DNIC-like' effects. RECENT FINDINGS: Most of the work in this context was done on the idiopathic pain syndromes, such as irritable bowel syndrome, temporomandibular disorders, fibromyalgia, and…