Boy, do I agree, given my experience with my minor back problem. I would also suggest that it may be time to take some of the money allocated for aids medical research and earmark it for back problems research, treatment improvement, and prevention procedures.
Boy, do I agree. Ever been bitten by a flea? Hurts, doesn't it. When one looks at a fleas jaws (in a microscope) they are comparatively small in relation to the pain they cause. The general public (and a lot of doctors) conceive of the cause of pain as being something BIG, like a knife or a gunshot, not a cause that is the size of a flea bite. Pain needs to be a major speciality, with equipment to match. Right now, doctors cannot "see" pain with a CT or MRI, or a PET Scan. They need to. They need to be able to image the source and the path of pain, just as they can detect a hairline break in a leg. And, as you mention, this will need monies allocated for and research dedicated to the truly effective treatment of both temporary and chronic pain. It will save us all money and pain in the end.