ABSTRACT
Significant pain can be experienced as a result of a multitude of medical problems. The most common is associated with low back pain, an affliction experienced by 80% of the population sometime during their lifetime (Moreo, 2003; Cailliet & Helberg, 1981). Objective definitions of pain have eluded researchers (Weed, 1987). No pain literature available to these writers has been able to satisfactorily define pain objectively. Pain appears to be a subjective experience measured by self-report (Sternbach, 1968, 1974; Shealy, 1976; Fordyce, 1976; Melzak, 1973; Merskey, 1964, 1972; Skinner, 1974; Loeser, 1980; Bresler, 1979; Ramsey, 1979; Engel et al., 1970; IASP, 1979). Research indicates that the pain threshold is similar from person to person and culture to culture, but pain tolerance can vary dramatically (Shealy, 1976). Sternbach (1968) has simply stated that “pain is a hurt we feel” (p. l).
