A Congressional mandate declared 2000 - 2010 as the Decade of Pain Control and Research. September is Pain Awareness Month in this, the sixth year of that decade. The American Pain Society believes "the key to better understanding pain and how to treat it most effectively is through pain research and increased professional and public understanding about pain and pain management." One of their core programs to manage their Decade of Pain programs is their Public Awareness Program.
To many chronic pain patients, it may seem that not much progress has been made thus far in the decade. However, a closer look at the situation shows that more attention is being paid to the issue. Professional organizations such as the American Pain Society have gotten behind the Decade of Pain Control and Research with programs and initiatives to improve care, education, and awareness. Other organizations have been formed either specifically for patients or for patients and professionals both: the American Chronic Pain Association, American Pain Foundation, National Pain Foundation, Partners Against Pain, and others.
Seventy-two percent of people with chronic pain have lived with it for more than three years, including a third (34 percent) who have lived with pain for more than a decade, according to results from the Americans Living with Pain Survey (ALPS), designed to uncover insights regarding attitudes and perceptions about chronic pain. Yet nearly half (44 percent) of people with pain who have talked to their doctor about it delay doing so, often for several months or longer, despite the impact it has on their lives. A little more than half (53 percent) of those who do eventually visit their doctor do so because their pain is becoming increasingly severe.¹
Here's more information you can use to help build awareness:
Who's Hurting?
According to the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations (JCAHO), nearly a third of Americans will experience chronic pain
at some point in their lives. And approximately 50 million Americans live with
chronic pain today; it is the number one cause of adult disability in the United
States. ALPS reveals that people are experiencing pain at a younger age than
what may be commonly perceived or assumed; proportionally just as many younger
people surveyed experience back pain as do middle aged and older adults.
Pain in the Workplace
Pain costs the United States an estimated $100 billion in lost productivity
every year, according to a JCAHO report. The survey demonstrates that chronic
pain is a major cause of absenteeism. ALPS shows that 41 percent of those
employed and living with chronic pain report their pain adversely affects their
ability to put in a full day's work; three in 10 (27 percent) say it impacts
their ability to get to work in the first place. One in six employed people
living with chronic pain say it has adversely affected their career advancement
opportunities.
How is Pain Being Treated?
Once people address their condition, ALPS reveals that treatment of chronic
pain varies, with nearly half of people taking prescription medication and about
half not taking prescription medication. For those taking only prescription
medication, 81 percent report being very satisfied with how their doctor is
helping them manage their pain, as opposed to 64 percent of those who are taking
only over-the- counter medication. 86 percent of those taking only prescription
medication also use alternative treatments, including physical therapy (58
percent), massage (39 percent) and meditation (23 percent).
Many Fear Losing Access to Pain Medicine
With increasing attention being paid to cost and legislative issues, people
with pain express concerns about access. Three in ten have been unable to get a
prescription filled because of cost or lack of insurance. Almost three in 10
believe that it will become more difficult to get the medication they need in
the future.
Satisfaction and Concerns about Medication
Vary
Attitudes toward medication show as much variation as the types of people
experiencing pain. Significant numbers of people with pain report concerns about
taking pain medications including fear of side effects (56 percent) and worries
that they will need medication for the rest of their lives (49 percent) while
showing surprisingly little awareness (26 percent) of prescription topical pain
patches as an alternative. Concern about potential side effects among those
taking only prescription medication is generally higher among 35 to 50
year-olds, with 58 percent worried that it might be addictive. Compared to those
taking prescription pain medicines, users of both prescription and over the
counter medications were more likely to experience side effects (drowsiness: 52
percent, nausea: 41 percent).
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References:
1 Press Release: NEW SURVEY REVEALS
EMERGING "LIFESTYLE OF PAIN" IN AMERICA. The
American Chronic Pain Association.
