Pain is more common than you think. Estimates based on research show that an astonishing 20% of people suffer from pain more or less regularly. Apparently many do not report their complaint, and if they do, the cause often remains unclear. Yet there is pain. The pain-alarm system seems to be imperfect. Just like any alarm system, it may trigger a false alarm, seemingly defeating its purpose, or even turning itself against us. Medicine offers us drugs, blockades and surgery, from which many people with pain can benefit. But, to be honest, things also go wrong quite often. Results of medical treatment of chronic pain are modest at best. People with inexplicable and untreatable pain are still dismissed as mentally disturbed, a grumbler or play acting. In the context of our current insights into pain, this is frivolous and well behind the times. It is about time to bring into practice some new pain concepts and models.

Ben van Cranenburgh is a neuroscientist. He studied Medicine in Amsterdam and afterwards worked for many years as a scientific researcher (neurophysiological research and clinical research with CVA-patients). In 1987 he founded the Institute for Applied Neurosciences (ITON foundation, Haarlem). Since 2010 ITON has been a centre of expertise that is part of the Faculty of Movement Sciences of the Free University of Amsterdam (VU). In this context he intensely focuses on bridging the (too large) gap between scientific theory and practice, in the areas of pain, neurorehabilitation, sports and music. He published the series of books Applied Neurosciences and many articles. He is also a lecturer / speaker for numerous curricula, courses and congresses.