Pain medicine and treatment of chronic pain have evolved, with many new treatment options developed just in the past decade. Leaders in pain medicine recognize that terminology needs to keep up with our understanding of disorders, their pathophysiologies, and their treatment. In the 1990s, the term “complex regional pain syndrome”(CRPS) emerged from the work of an expert group convened by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). The goal was an improved term for the conditions previously labeled “reflex sympathetic dystrophy” and “causalgia” that was more general and not specific to a certain pathophysiology. This effort also delineated the subtypes of complex regional pain syndrome. Despite the expert recommendation, there were objections from several fronts to the terminology, and adoption of the term was slow. 1 An analysis of publications from 2001 to 2012 identified that 79% used the new terminology, with a gradual increase over the time period. 2

The terms “post-laminectomy syndrome” and “failed back surgery syndrome”(FBSS) were coined in the 1970s and then gained traction in the 1980s amid a discussion in the literature of approaches to treat persistent pain after spinal surgery. However, the terms are ambiguous, addressing a heterogeneous group of disorders that share the commonality of chronic pain and the experience of prior surgery after which pain either recurs or persists. In a 2015 analysis, Al-Kaisy et al noted that the term “failed back surgery syndrome” is pejorative and ought to be changed. 3 Without doubt, the term is rife with ethical implications. Progressively, it is apparent that patients with nonspecific back and other types of chronic pain are stigmatized and marginalized. 4–6 Compounding matters, it has been argued that this stigmatization and marginalization has likely been exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. 7 The impact of stigmatization and marginalization of these unfortunate patients has been devastating, including the deterioration of pain sufferers’ trust in health care professionals, 8 quality of the pain care that patients receive, 9 perceived injustice (which has recently been empirically related to greater pain severity and increased functional impairment), 10 and exacerbated psychological distress 11 including increased depression and anxiety. 12