It’s always a great pleasure to learn a new word and I had such a pleasure this week with “analgesia dolorosa”. In fact, two new terms as it’s also known as analgesia algera.

A pain specialist colleague (thanks C) used the term in reference to a patient who had presented with chest wall numbness and such severe nipple pain on light touch that he has difficulty wearing shirts. He went on to be diagnosed with a metastatic malignancy infitrating his thoracic vertebrae.

So, analgesia dolorosa is different from hyperalgesia which is an increased pain sensation from a normally painful stimulus, and I guess a variation on allodynia which is pain from a normally non painful stimulus.

Drop it in to a ward round near you and amaze your colleagues!

Sonia