Pain Less: the future of relief

Pain Less is a new exhibition featured in the Antenna – Science News gallery investigating the future of pain relief.

Last year, nearly 6 billion painkillers were sold in the UK. Pain is a constant reality for some people, especially if you're one of the 1 in 5 who suffer from relentless chronic pain.

We treat pain with drugs that haven’t really changed for decades. Is there a better way to control pain?

Explore pain through the stories of extraordinary people who deal with it every day – from the patient who suffers with chronic pain in his missing limb, to the man who feels no pain at all.

How are scientists working to create the perfect pain relief? Geneticists decode DNA to find out how pain works in the body. Neuroscientists examine brain activity to discover how emotion affects how we feel pain. Researchers ask, do we really feel no pain during surgery under anaesthetic? Or do we simply not remember it? How might this affect us?

Pain Less introduces you to the latest pain research, through personal stories, scientific discovery, fascinating objects, films and even games.

Check out our blog to explore the content and creation of Pain Less, or click here to play Ouch, our interactive game about defeating pain.

A large print version of the gallery text is available at sciencemuseum.org.uk/painlesslargeprint

For more information on anaesthesia and pain, visit the Royal College of Anaesthetists' Pain Less page.

Principal funder:

Major funders:

The Royal College of Anaesthetists
The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland

With additional support from:

British Journal of Anaesthesia
Anaesthesia, Journal of the AAGBI
Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland
Obsetric Anaesthetists' Association
The British Pain Society