**11. Neuropathic pain diagnosis**

Persistent pain is the single most common ailment that brings people to a primary care physician each year, accounting for approximately 40% of all visits [70]. Measurements of overall health-related quality of life, a multidimensional construct that takes into account physical, emotional, and social well-being, are depressed in chronic pain patients [15], and the resulting work absenteeism and elevated health care costs represent a substantial economical and societal burden [71-74]. Although effective management of chronic pain would certainly reduce this burden, treatment options are inadequate and often wrought with adverse health effects [15]. It is becoming increasingly clear that the path towards efficacious pain manage‐ ment is one of individualized medicine that stems from an understanding of the underlying pathophysiology and resultant sensory abnormalities [31, 75-77]. Although this may be the future of pain management, the current understanding of an individual "sensory phenotype" and dearth of clinical trials utilizing this perspective prevent immediate implementation. The following sections will highlight the current evidence based methods of diagnosing and treating neuropathic pain and suggest the future of research and clinical practice.
