title: Pain: friend or foe.
abstract: Pain, the most urgent of symptoms usually signals the presence of potential or on-going injury to tissue which requires attention. The warning that pain provides is, therefore, a good thing and in a way friendly. When pain continues or resumes after the healing process of injury is complete, it is no longer signalling on-going tissue damage but becomes a disease in its own right. That, in essence, is the presentation of most chronic pain syndromes referred to Pain Clinics for investigation and treatment.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Chinyanga
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Kalangu
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000379:methods*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013038:Specialization