ABSTRACT
The experience of pain is unique to each individual. In spite of the immense strides that have been made in objectively defining the causes and pain perception, there is still much to learn of its pathways and mechanisms. The recording of brief bioelectrical potentials evoked after application of noxious stimuli in humans has aided in the effort to elucidate nociceptive pathways and mechanisms, and simultaneously augmented the clinical and radiological assessment of patients in acute pain. It is not atypical to distinguish acute from chronic pain by its more easily identifiable mechanism (generator). In contrast, chronic pain is far more challenging to characterize, as its localization and pathology tend to be more elusive. Despite these differences, electrodiagnostic assessment is valuable in characterizing both subtypes of pain.
