Pain management is the use of medicines and other approaches to prevent, reduce, or stop pain sensations.

Pain has the important role of alerting the brain to potential or actual damage to the body, from injury, disease, or other causes. But after the brain receives and processes the message, further pain can be a nuisance and can actually interfere with recovery from illness or injury. Unrelieved pain can become a syndrome in its own right and cause a downward spiral in a person's health and outlook. Managing pain properly speeds recovery, prevents additional health complications, and improves a person's of life.

Finding and treating the cause of the pain is the first step in managing it. Injuries must be repaired and diseases must be diagnosed and treated. But treating the cause doesn't always relieve the pain. Pain-relieving drugs and other treatments are often necessary.

Pain-relieving drugs...