The evolving nature of neuropathic pain: individualizing treatment.

While it may be convenient to categorize neuropathic pain syndromes on the basis of anatomical distribution or disease state (e.g., diabetic neuropathy, radiculopathy, postherpetic neuralgia), the treatment of neuropathic pain, alone, should also consider the signs and symptoms and the underlying putative mechanisms that may then be inferred from each individual's signs and symptoms. A diagnosis-based approach to treatment may not effectively relieve a patient's pain or improve his or her quality of life, the ultimate goal of treatment. Although research that supports a symptom- and mechanism-based approach to treating neuropathic pain is ongoing and dynamic, the preclinical and clinical data available thus far form an initial rational framework within which we may attempt to target putative pain mechanisms.