Contributors. Foreword. Preface. Acknowledgements Section 1: Introduction to pain management. Introduction to pain management (including epidemiology). Models of pain, pain mechanisms and the nature of disability. The nature of psychological factors. Social and cultural influences on pain and disability. Economic and occupational influences on pain and disability. Frequently Answered questions (FAQs.) Section 2: Assessment. General issues of assessment and clinical decision making. Medical assessment and obstacles to recovery. Assessment of pain, disability and physical function in pain management. Psychological assessment. Assessment of social, economic and occupational factors as potential obstacles to recovery. FAQs Section 3: The delivery of pain management Overview of approaches to pain management in terms of context, content and type of intervention. Psychosocial management by the individual practitioner. Early intervention in health care settings. Work retention programmes. Tertiary pain management programmes. Vocational rehabilitation. FAQs Section 4. Conclusions and future directions Index