Pain clinicians often ponder how an injury can lead to permanent disability in a few individuals while most others are able to recover from a similar injury and resume an active daily routine without signs of disability. Unfortunately, there are few prospective studies that follow individuals from the point of an initial injury over time to help identify those variables that contribute to chronic pain and disability in certain persons.

An editorial, "Unraveling the Secrets to Chronic Pain and Disability: More Than Meets the Eye," from The Journal of Pain (Vol 11, No 5 [May], 2010: pp 405-407), is available in PDF form here.