Chronic Pain: an Atlas of Investigation and Management

Chronic pain affects nearly one in every four adults worldwide, with pain one of the most common symptoms resulting in medical consultation. The increasing focus on chronic pain presents difficulties for the busy practitioner. Patients typically describe a complex pattern of discomfort, disability, and distress, with pain affecting physical, social, and psychological functioning. Clinicians must efficiently condense widely varied symptomatic descriptions into characteristic patterns to permit accurate diagnosis and implement effective treatment. This atlas serves as a useful educational resour.