Treating pain: a Fresh Look at an Older Perspective

For centuries, we have resorted to treating pain withmedications and manual therapy. We have assumed that thesite of the pain is the only place where the problem lies. Now,there is overwhelming evidence to suggest that we need tochange our ways. Too many patients are being placed in thetoo-hard basket because their pain is beyond the treatment oftraditional therapies. At a recent conference held by theAustralian and New Zealand pain societies titled the Impact ofPain (2010), the need for better pain management wasdiscussed; the need for a more holistic approach incorporatingboth physical and emotional aspects was discussed, as was theneed for a change in our perceptions towards pain.