Pain: a multidimensional problem of national priority.

Eva G. Widerström-Noga, DDS, PhD The official definition of pain endorsed by the International Association for the Study of Pain states “Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage” [1]. Furthermore, the definition suggests that pain is always subjective: “It is unquestionably a sensation in a part or parts of the body, but it is also always unpleasant and therefore also an emotional experience.” The definition also includes “Activity induced in the nociceptor and nociceptive pathways by a noxious stimulus is not pain, which is always a psychological state, even though we may well appreciate that pain most often has a proximate physical cause.” The definition of pain is important because it emphasizes that pain is a multidimensional problem and thus the ultimate cure for pain must target all underlying pathophysiology and contributing psychosocial factors. The definition also highlights the complexity of pain and difficulty in translating basic pain research findings based on evoked nociceptive behaviors in animals into effective pain treatments for patients.