About Der Schmerz

Der Schmerz

Der Schmerz is a German-language peer-reviewed scientific journal for pain medicine, published by Springer Medizin in Berlin. Appearing six times a year, it is the official publication organ of the Deutsche Schmerzgesellschaft (German Pain Society), the largest scientific pain society in Europe with around 3,400 members. The journal covers the interdisciplinary field of pain research, diagnostics and therapy, spanning anaesthesiology, neurology, psychosomatics, physiotherapy and nursing, and addresses physicians, researchers and other professionals involved in the treatment of acute and chronic pain. Its articles undergo peer review, and the journal is identified in reference lists by the abbreviation "Schmerz" and the DOI prefix 10.1007/s00482.

Overview

Der Schmerz occupies a central position in the German-language literature on pain medicine. Pain is one of the most common reasons for medical consultation, and chronic pain affects millions of people in Germany, yet pain medicine is not a standalone specialty but an interdisciplinary field drawing on anaesthesiology, neurology, orthopaedics, psychosomatic medicine, psychology, physiotherapy and nursing science. The journal serves as the shared scientific platform for this diverse community, publishing original research, reviews and continuing-education articles that translate research findings into clinical practice.

The journal appears every two months, with six issues per year, and is published by Springer Medizin Verlag, part of Springer Nature, in Berlin. Its print ISSN is 0932-433X and its electronic ISSN is 1432-2129. As the publication organ of the Deutsche Schmerzgesellschaft, it carries the society's official communications, congress reports and position statements alongside its scientific content, making it required reading for the society's members and a reference for pain professionals across the German-speaking countries.

The editorial concept balances scientific rigour with practical relevance. Original articles and reviews pass through peer review, ensuring that published findings meet scientific standards, while continuing-education contributions present verified research results in a form that clinicians can apply directly. This dual character reflects the journal's mission: to advance the interdisciplinary research, diagnostics and therapy of pain, which is also the statutory purpose of the German Pain Society itself.

History

The journal is published by Springer on behalf of the pain medicine community organised in the Deutsche Schmerzgesellschaft, which traces its own history to 1975, when it was founded during the first World Congress on Pain in Florence as the German section of the International Association for the Study of Pain. Until 2012 the society was known as the Deutsche Gesellschaft zum Studium des Schmerzes (DGSS); the renaming to Deutsche Schmerzgesellschaft marked a strategic reorientation toward greater public and political visibility for the topic of pain, beyond the scientific community alone.

Der Schmerz has served as the society's publication organ through these decades, documenting the development of pain medicine in Germany from a niche interest of anaesthetists into an established interdisciplinary field. The journal's volumes record the evolution of key concepts in pain therapy: the biopsychosocial model of chronic pain, multimodal pain therapy, the role of psychological and physiotherapeutic interventions, and the critical discussion of opioid prescribing that has shaped pain medicine in recent years.

Published within the Springer Medizin portfolio, the journal has benefited from the publisher's digital transformation, with all articles available online via the Springer Medizin platform and citable through digital object identifiers. The journal's long publication history and its anchoring in the German Pain Society have made it the definitive German-language reference for the field, complementing the English-language international journals in which German pain researchers also publish.

Coverage and Content

The journal's scope covers the full breadth of pain medicine. Original research articles report clinical and experimental studies on pain mechanisms, diagnostics and treatment, from pharmacological trials to studies of interventional, psychological and physiotherapeutic approaches. Review articles synthesise the state of knowledge on specific topics, such as neuropathic pain, back pain, headache, cancer pain, or pain in older patients, providing clinicians with evidence-based overviews they can apply in practice.

Continuing medical education is a fixed component of the journal's offering. CME articles present secured results of scientific research and make clinical experience usable for daily practice, with online knowledge tests that allow physicians to earn continuing-education credits. This format is particularly valuable in pain medicine, where treatment concepts evolve rapidly and practitioners need efficient ways to stay current.

As the organ of the Deutsche Schmerzgesellschaft, the journal publishes the society's official communications: reports from the annual German Pain Congress, which the society organises jointly with the German Migraine and Headache Society, position statements on healthcare policy, and news from the society's sections and working groups. Congress reports summarise key presentations for members who could not attend, extending the reach of the society's scientific meetings. The journal thus functions simultaneously as a scientific periodical, a continuing-education medium and the internal communication channel of Germany's pain medicine community.

Organization and Ownership

Der Schmerz is published by Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, part of Springer Nature, based in Berlin and Heidelberg. According to reference sources, the journal is published by Springer on behalf of the pain medicine community, with the Deutsche Schmerzgesellschaft e.V. as the society behind it. The society, founded in 1975, is a registered non-profit association with its legal seat in Frankfurt am Main, its federal office in Berlin and a service centre in Boppard, and with around 3,400 members it is the largest scientific pain society in Europe and a member of the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF).

The society's statutory purpose is the promotion of interdisciplinary research, diagnostics and therapy of pain, and the journal is the primary instrument through which it pursues the publication side of this mission. The editorial work is carried out by specialist editors and reviewers from the pain medicine community, with the publisher providing professional editorial, production and distribution services.

The names of the current editors-in-chief are not confirmed in publicly accessible publisher material, so no personal editorial attribution is made here. The business model follows the standard pattern for German medical society journals: institutional and personal subscriptions in print and online, society memberships that include the journal, and advertising from the pharmaceutical and medical-technology industries, presented separately from editorial content in accordance with German press and medical advertising rules.

Digital Presence

The journal's digital home is the Springer Medizin platform, where its journal page presents the current issue, the archive and the most-read articles. All articles are published online with digital object identifiers under the prefix 10.1007/s00482, making them citable and discoverable in scientific databases. Online-first publication allows new findings to reach readers ahead of the bimonthly print issue.

The CME offering is fully integrated into the digital platform: after reading a CME article, physicians can complete the associated test online and receive their continuing-education points directly, a workflow that has become standard for German medical journals. The platform also supports institutional access for hospitals, universities and the members of the German Pain Society.

Beyond the journal page, the society's website at schmerzgesellschaft.de provides information on the society's activities, the annual pain congress and patient resources, complementing the journal's scientific content. The journal itself does not operate standalone social media channels under its own name that are publicly documented; its visibility runs through the publisher's platform and the society's communications. For authors, the journal page provides submission guidelines and editorial policies, and for readers it remains the central access point to the German-language pain medicine literature.