A method of distinguishing nociceptive pain from neuropathic pain includes providing a series of questions for answering by the patient. Each of the answers by the patient are given a numerical value within a nociceptive pain category and a neuropathic pain category. The values within the two categories are then summed, with the resultants potentially modified using a series of one or more equations. The ratio of the neuropathic pain to the nociceptive pain is then calculated. The ratio provides a value for the physician to diagnose the patient as suffering from nociceptive pain, neuropathic pain, or both nociceptive pain and neuropathic pain. Embodiments of the present invention include a system for assisting a physician to identify whether a patient's pain is nociceptive pain or neuropathic pain.