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Managing chronic pain in survivors of torture

Original Publication Date: December 13, 2016
Last Updated: February 20, 2023
Estimated Read Time: < 1 minute

Amris K, Williams AC. Pain Manag. 2015;5(1):5-12. 

All generalist and specialist clinicians are likely to encounter torture survivors among refugees and asylum seekers. A minority of people survive torture and a smaller minority reach a developed country; those who do tend to be the more resilient and resourceful. They have many health, social, and welfare problems; persistent pain in the musculoskeletal system is one of the most common. There is little specific evidence on pain in survivors of torture; the guidelines on interdisciplinary specialist management are applicable. Most of the literature on refugee survivors of torture has an exclusive focus on psychological disorders, with particularly poor understanding of pain problems. This article summarizes the current status of assessment and treatment of pain problems in the torture survivor.

Link is to full article, available for free.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270004265_Managing_chronic_pain_in_survivors_of_torture

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