It is a simple fact of life that wounds cause pain. We do not need empirical evidence to prove it but for those that remain sceptical there is a plethora of international research showing that the pain experienced by people with chronic wounds is remarkably similar from person to person. This will come as no surprise to anyone who has cared for someone with a chronic wound in either a professional or lay capacity. We know that chronic wound pain is frequently severe, persistent and quickly leads to sleeplessness, emotional distress, loss of self-esteem, social isolation and depression and yet it fails to receive priority in today’s overburdened health service.