Pain control is an essential aspect of anesthetic care, aiming to prevent and alleviate both acute and chronic pain associated with surgical, medical, or traumatic conditions. Effective pain control not only improves patient comfort but also enhances functional recovery, reduces stress responses, and minimizes the risk of complications such as deep vein thrombosis or impaired wound healing. A multimodal approach, combining pharmacologic treatments (opioids, NSAIDs, acetaminophen, local anesthetics) with regional techniques and non-pharmacologic interventions (such as TENS, acupuncture, or cognitive-behavioural therapy), is now considered the standard of care.

In recent years, there has been a significant shift toward opioid-sparing and opioid-free analgesia due to concerns about dependency, side effects, and long-term misuse. The rise of regional anesthesia, patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), and enhanced perioperative protocols like ERAS has transformed postoperative pain management. Additionally, the integration of individualized pain scoring and patient-reported outcome measures ensures more tailored treatment plans. We encourage submissions to the Journal of Anesthesia & Clinical Care that evaluate efficacy, safety, and patient-reported outcomes in pain control strategies. Articles discussing innovative delivery systems, chronic pain transitions, and technological tools for pain monitoring are especially relevant to our readers committed to excellence in perioperative care.