The field of Pain Medicine has evolved over the last 20 years to include an increasing array of sophisticated and technologically complex diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Concurrent to this advancement has been the development of a battery of pharmacological options to treat pain, from extended-release formulations of analgesics to antidepressants and anticonvulsants designed to treat specific types of pain syndromes. Despite (and perhaps because of) this phenomenal growth, it is not uncommon for patients with persistent pain to find themselves having gone through a number of procedures and taking a growing list of medications without ever experiencing true resolution of the condition or a return to a normal.
