INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Pain is a complex multidimensional symptom. It is determined not only by actual or potential tissue injury and normal and abnormal activity of the nervous system,…

INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen “It is not suffering that diminishes man, but suffering without meaning.”—Victor Frankl Asked to describe their pain, especially chronic, noncancer pain, patients often appear perplexed, stating,…

INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen “For all the happiness Mankind can gain; Is not in pleasure, But in rest from pain.”—John Dryden (1631–1701) Relief of pain is one of the great…

INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen The Decade of Pain Control and Research (DPCR) legislation passed by the 106th Congress helped promulgate an extraordinary number of scientific inquiries into the mechanisms and…

INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Pain is indeed an unpleasant experience; the perception of pain feels like damage or injury. Whether such damage is actual or potential, pain is usually described…

INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Understanding the anatomy and physiology of pain transmission systems is important for the pain management specialist because it informs diagnostic and treatment decisions for the common…