title: Pain mechanisms and management.
abstract: Pain is one of the most important human experiences, and also one of the most complex. The International Association for the Study of Pain has defined pain as: 'An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage. Pain is always subjective. Each individual learns the application of the word through experiences related to injury in early life. It is unquestionably a sensation in a part of the body, but it is also unpleasant, and therefore also an emotional experience. Many people report pain in the absence of tissue damage or any likely pathophysiological cause; usually this happens for psychological reasons. There is no way to distinguish their experience from that due to tissue damage, if we take this subjective report.'
authors.affiliation: Pain Relief Research Foundation, Liverpool.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lipton
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002908:Chronic Disease; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D059408:Pain Management; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000628:therapy