Pain mechanisms and management: an update

1. Recent findings have further helped to elucidate the mechanisms involved in the transmission and modulation of pain. It is now known that pain, inflammation and nervous system damage results in a number of changes in peripheral nerves, spinal cord and supraspinal structures. These changes themselves may be responsible for the development and maintenance of chronic pain syndromes. 2. In response to these findings, new agents and techniques have been applied in the clinical setting and new approaches have been developed to use existing agents more effectively. This review presents some of the findings from recent studies and the implications they have for the management of pain.