Yoo, Yeong-Min, Kim, Kyung-Hoon · The Korean journal of pain · 2024 · DOI
This article explains 'nociplastic pain'—a type of chronic pain that occurs when the nervous system becomes overly sensitive to pain signals, even when there is no obvious tissue damage or nerve injury. People with ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, and similar conditions often experience this kind of pain. The article describes how doctors can recognize nociplastic pain and groups it with other conditions that share this same underlying mechanism of nervous system sensitivity.
Recognizing nociplastic pain as a legitimate neurobiological mechanism validates the experience of ME/CFS patients whose pain often lacks visible tissue damage. This framework helps clinicians move beyond the assumption that 'no lesion means no real pain,' potentially improving diagnosis, treatment strategies, and patient acceptance in healthcare settings.
This editorial does not present new experimental data proving that central sensitization causes ME/CFS or other conditions; it reviews existing concepts and diagnostic frameworks. It does not establish causality between emotional comorbidities and pain—only their frequent co-occurrence. The article also does not establish definitive diagnostic criteria, leaving clinical diagnosis somewhat subjective.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Yoo, Yeong-Min & Kim, Kyung-Hoon (2024). Current understanding of nociplastic pain.. The Korean journal of pain. https://doi.org/10.3344/kjp.23326
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-yoo-2024-current-understanding,
author = {Yoo, Yeong-Min and Kim, Kyung-Hoon},
title = {Current understanding of nociplastic pain.},
journal = {The Korean journal of pain},
year = {2024},
doi = {10.3344/kjp.23326},
note = {PubMed: 38504389},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/yoo-2024-current-understanding},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/yoo-2024-current-understanding
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