Pain Disability & Physiotherpy

Pain is the most common symptom for which health care is sought, but it is perhaps the most misunderstood and mismanaged symptom. Pain is tremendously costly in both financial and human terms and frequently leads to disability. In the 1960s Melzack and Wall published "The Gate Control Theory of Pain". This seminal work led to a reconceptualization of pain and provided the first significant intimation of the myriad of factors involved in the experience of pain. Ongoing research in both basic and applied science contines to reveal greater complexity. Enormous strides have been made in pain research, and these findings have improved the understanding of pain mechanisms and contributed to the improved management of people with acute and chronic pain. This special issue is a collection of articles that should be of interest to any health professional who deals with patients in pain. The issue contains scholarly reviews and original research articles written in large part by an international cadre of researchers.