Chronic pain is recognized as a world-wide problem. Gureje et al (1) demonstrated that 21% of patients presenting for primary care reported persistent pain and were four times more likely to have a depressive disorder than those without pain. One third of patients with persistent pain had a moderate to severe work role impairment (1). Canadian studies have demonstrated that up to 30% of the population suffers from chronic pain (2, 3). By extrapolation it may be expected that between 20-30% of persons living in Nova Scotia suffer from chronic pain.