The Challenge of Pain

by Ronald Melzack, Patrick D. Wall

NOTE: The publication date of this book is 1996 however the edition dates get revised year over year.
Pain has many valuable functions. It can be a warning or force us to rest our bodies. Yet most ongoing chronic pain, such as unrelenting backache or headache, has no discernable cause and diminishes countless lives. Over the years a scientific revolution has taken place in chronic pain research and therapy. A major catalyst for this was the introduction of the "gate theory" by Professor Ronald Melzack and Professor Patrick D. Wall, which argued that pain is a unified stream of experience generated by the brain, incorporating a whole host of psychological functions. Their now-classic book, with a new introduction taking in all the latest medical developments, examines every facet of pain: the psychological and clinical aspects, the physiological evidence, the major theories of pain, and the developments in its control. The challenge in the 21st century is to look at how memories, personal and social expectations, genetics, gender, aging, and stress patterns all play a role in pain, and how understanding this could lead to the relief of the suffering endured by millions.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Neuroscience, Psychology, Medicine, Brain

335 pages, Paperback

First published January 5, 1982

Reviews

[Hon Lady Selene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Psychophysical studies that find a mathematical relationship between stimulus intensity and pain intensity are often cited as supporting evidence for the assumption that pain is a primary sensation subserved by a direct communication system from skin receptors to pain centre. A simple psychophysical function, however, does not necessarily reflect equally simple neural mechanisms. Activities in the central nervous system, such as memories of earlier cultural experience, may intervene between stimulus and sensation and invalidate any simple psychophysical ‘law’. The use of laboratory conditions that minimize such activities or prevent them from ever coming into play reduces the functions of the nervous system to those of a fixed-gain transmission line. It is under these conditions that psychophysical functions prevail.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe not the most up-to-date information, but a relatively accessible overview of the major theories, definitions, and treatments of pain (and more specifically chronic pain). It is written through a compassionate lens, is honest in admitting the faults and gaps in our scientific understanding of pain, and is critical of archaic theories that lean towards victim-blaming.

A good read for anyone who is actively devising their own treatment plan to cope with chronic pain.

[Richard Cubitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly interesting and informative. Complex in places (Undergraduate Level). Published in the 1980s, perhaps more progress has been made since then. A good start, nevertheless. Recommended.