Abstract
Pain has been one of the most intolerable sufferings of human beings. A specific theory by Descartes (1596-1650) had been the basis of pain science until the gate control theory was published in 1965. This new and revolutionary theory has focused on the modulation of sensory input at the spinal cord level, and information has been accumulating since this revolutionary theory. However, a newer theory has yet to be established to solve such clinical phenomena as phantom limb pain, chronic intractable pain, placebo effects, and similar related classifications. Pain clinicians are privileged to get ideas from patients, and the ideas would be beneficial for epoch-making treatments, as well as for developing new concepts or paradigms related to pain.
The basic knowledge of pain mechanisms is summarized here to help pain clinicians diagnose and treat patients from the scientific point of view.
