Tackling the burden of pain

Pain is an almost universal human experience that is essential for survival. Nevertheless, pain is also a deeply, intensely personal event. Patients with a congenital inability to perceive pain can walk over burning coals, stab knives through their arms and drive spikes through their hands. Some patients with congenital limb abnormalities endure phantom pain in an arm or leg they have never had. The wide range of currently available analgesics allows nurse prescribers to tailor treatment to each patient. For example, as paracetamol acts through a different mechanism to codeine, combination therapy increases the proportion of patients that experience adequate analgesia. This feature examines the neurological basis of pain and reviews the role of co-codamol.