As evolutionary constructs go, pain is not one that often gets the recognition it deserves.

Although pain is a useful experience in certain experiences, in others it can be demanding, excruciating, all-consuming, dulling and, in short, a real pain! Irrespective of the words used, the experience of pain is central for the patient with a wound (whether acute or chronic) and, as a consequence, should be for the healthcare professional. Pain itself is a complex phenomena and the multiplicity of adjectives used to describe it are only matched by the variables associated with the experience of pain.