ABSTRACT
Pain is doubtless one of the most illusive and complicated aspects of life, particularly for the practicing health professional. From the inception of recorded human history everyone from the afflicted to sages, philosophers, theologians, and magicians have attempted to enlighten us regarding this condition. We are now wise enough to know that what we are currently recording will no doubt also be shown to be just as naive in years to come. Yet, despite this, we must try to consolidate what we know in an attempt to help those living in this era of history. We now know enough to see pain as more than a result and more than a syndrome. It is doubtless an illness all its own. Portenoy (1996) conceptualized longstanding pain associated with tissue damage as far more disabling than the injury itself.
