Assessment of Neuropathic pain

Chronic pain falls into 3 categories;
1) pain due to tissue disease or damage( nociceptive pain)
2) pain due to somatosensory disease or damage( neuropathic pain)
3) pain without any somatic background
Chronic neuropathic pain is under recognised and under treated.
Treatment requires identifying type of pain, assessing it's components and determining appropriate treatment.
Am J Med 2009 Oct; 122(10 Suppl):S13-21