ABSTRACT
Evaluation of pain complaints and pain-related disabilities presents a significant diagnostic challenge. In cases of clear, severe, and/or functionally disabling physical pathology and pain, the evaluations and opinions of most healthcare practitioners are fairly consistent. In most cases, however, where physical findings are less clear
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practitioners who specialize in pain and disability assessments may express widely varying opinions. Medical evidence is often problematic or disputable and the relationship between physical findings and subjective report is frequently weak. Pain, ultimately, is a subjective complaint that is difficult to verify or refute (Hall & Pritchard, 1996; Merskey, 1986). Finally, despite recent biopsychosocial and psychophysiologic advances in terms of understanding, simplistic and dichotomous conceptualizations remain overly represented (Martelli, 2000).
