Understanding Pain

This empowering book provides a comprehensive resource to help readers of all ages understand pain, seek the right diagnosis and treatment, and allow them to take control of their pain.

Unfortunately, pain is a universal human experience. For many, their experience of pain transcends an occasional or nagging discomfort and disrupts their lives. Understanding Pain: What You Need to Know to Take Control presents insights that will be useful to anyone who wants to be more knowledgeable about recognizing pain conditions through symptoms and telltale signs, and needs to be fully informed about the various treatment options available.

Providing information that is at once cutting-edge, comprehensive, and easy-to-understand, the chapters also provide the resources needed to obtain further information about the topic. The book covers all major pain syndromes in a manner accessible to those without backgrounds in science or pain treatment, explicitly explaining symptoms, tests that may be needed, and treatments and rehabilitation techniques that are possible. The last section of the text discusses pain issues of specific populations, such as children, the elderly, and women during childbirth.

Alan D. Kaye, MD, PhD, is professor and chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA. He also serves as director of Pain Services and as professor within the Department of Pharmacology. He is board certified in anesthesiology and pain management.

Richard D. Urman, MD, MBA, is an assistant professor of anesthesia at Harvard Medical School and director of sedation services at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. He received both his MD and MBA degrees from Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.