Pain is a multimodal phenomenon, stressor which is an indication for a rational treatment in relation to its intensity and duration. Worldwide and partly also in our country, the knowledge on pain and current options in analgesia are rarely presented to the medical practice. Contemporary options and procedures in analgesia are not sufficiently used in the most frequent pain difficulties in vertebral syndromes or headaches as well as methods of acute analgesia after trauma, one day surgical procedures or chronic oncological pain. The author of a review paper presents current classification, different systems of pain treatment, its evaluation according to the WHO, examples of combination of nonmedicament options and medications, economical and medical legal aspects, centres and outpatient facilities specialized in pain treatment in our health care system

        Key words: pain – analgesia – visual analogue scale – analgesics – complementary analgesia – WHO scale of pain treatment