An international group of experts provides comprehensive, current, clinically oriented coverage of the entire field. The contributors describe contemporary clinical practice and summarize the evidence that guides clinical practice.

The first section covers basic considerations, including mechanisms of nociception, functional neuro-anatomy and musculoskeletal anatomy, psychological aspects of pain, cultural and environmental aspects of pain, and clinical trials. The second section addresses economic, political, legal, and ethical considerations in pain management. The third section describes current methods for evaluation of the patient with pain. The fourth section provides in-depth coverage of specific painful conditions—neuropathic pain syndromes, psychological contributions to pain, vascular, cutaneous, and musculoskeletal pains, pain due to cancer, acute pain, pain in special populations, visceral pain, regional pain, and low back pain. The fifth section describes the full range of methods for symptomatic control, including pharmacologic therapies, psychological techniques, physical and other noninterventional therapies, implanted electrical stimulators, interventional pain management, and surgical approaches. The book concludes with discussions of the provision of pain treatment in a variety of clinical settings, including pain clinics, spine clinics, the primary care setting, the emergency department, the intensive care unit, and end-of-life care.