June 2006

Survey: Sufferers seek new solutions for pain

More than three-quarters of individuals who suffer from chronic pain are looking for new ways to make themselves more comfortable.

Chronic pain is pain that continues a month or more beyond the usual recovery period for an injury or illness, or pain that continues for months or years due to a chronic condition. The most common sources of chronic pain are low back problems, arthritis, cancer, repetitive stress injuries, shingles, headaches and fibromyalgia. Other causes include diabetic neuropathy, phantom limb sensation and other neurological conditions. Chronic pain can exist for no apparent cause.

According to a survey from American Pain Foundation, 77 percent of respondents are seeking new options to treat their pain. Only 14 percent reported that they were satisfied with their current medications and less than half (48 percent) of respondents felt they were currently getting enough information on the most effective ways to manage chronic pain.

While safe and effective medical treatments for many types of pain are available, only an estimated one in four people suffering receives proper treatment.

Most (51 percent) sufferers take an opioid analgesic agent, but felt they had little or no control over their pain.

The Voices of Pain survey also found that chronic pain takes a toll on the lives of those who suffer. Chronic pain affects approximately 50 million Americans, and untreated pain can impair a person’s ability to carry out daily activities, such as relationships, hobbies and work, and can greatly diminish his or her quality of life.

Chronic pain is a major cause of absenteeism and unemployment and results in more than 50 million lost workdays each year and costs the United States an estimated $100 billion in lost productivity and healthcare expenses. According to the survey, nearly 70 percent of people said their pain has a great deal of impact on their work and half have lost a job due to their chronic pain.

Opioid analgesics are a commonly prescribed treatment option that provides proven pain relief for patients who suffer from mild-to-severe chronic pain.

The American Pain Foundation encourages chronic pain patients to talk to their doctor about ways to effectively control their pain to help take back control of their life. For more information about Voices of Chronic Pain survey and chronic pain, log onto www.painfoundation.org.

Source American Pain Foundation, www.painfoundation.org

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