The Department of Anaesthesiology Ulm has had an outpatient pain clinic since 1979, making it one of the oldest pain therapy facilities in Germany alongside the University Hospital Mainz.

An interdisciplinary pain centre was founded as early as 1987, and interdisciplinary pain conferences have been held once a month on an ongoing basis since 1985. At these conferences, colleagues have the opportunity to present patients or their case histories with problematic pain disorders.

In 1989, a section was founded in the Department of Anaesthesiology in which the areas of acute and chronic pain therapy were combined.

In 1991, this section was allocated its own treatment beds for patients suffering from pain.

In addition, the Neurosurgical Clinic of the University of Ulm at the Günzburg District Hospital has been offering its own neurosurgical pain consultation for many years.

The Department of Neurology offers its own separate consultation hours specifically for headache patients and patients with painful diseases of the nervous system.

In addition, the Orthopaedics Clinic at the Ulm Rehabilitation Centre (RKU) runs a special orthopaedic day clinic for patients with back pain.

In 2000, the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Social Affairs launched the "Baden-Württemberg Pain Concept". Representatives of the health insurance funds, the medical system and health policy subsequently developed guidelines for the establishment of regional and supra-regional pain centres in the "Pain Forum". The board of the pain centre was then reconstituted at a general meeting. In 2003, it was finally recognised as a supra-regional pain centre.