Pain is the most common reason people visit their doctor. Pain may be sharp or dull, intermittent or constant, or throbbing or steady. Sometimes pain is very difficult to describe: the intensity of pain can vary from mild to intolerable, and people differ remarkably in their ability to tolerate pain.
The ability to withstand pain may vary according to mood, personality, and circumstance.

People in chronic pain have an increased incidence of depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances. It is natural to feel emotions ranging from fear, anger, denial, disappointment, guilt, and loneliness to hope and optimism. Every person reacts differently to pain at different times, which can make relationships and pain control difficult. The effect emotions and psychosocial well being have on pain cannot be ignored as emotions have a direct effect on your health. Taking care of the emotional aspects of chronic pain is necessary to treat your overall pain condition.

For thousands of years, doctors have been helping to relieve their patients' pain with a variety of medications and treatments. Like other areas of medicine, a new subset of doctors have become specialists in treating pain. They are focused on managing all types of pain - studying what causes it, how the body reacts to it, how different medications dull or eliminate the pain, and how other treatments can be used to relieve many painful conditions.