Pain Statistics
Chronic pain is becoming so increasingly prevalent that the statistics are astounding. According to the National Center for Health Statistics (2006), 76.2 million Americans are affected by chronic pain...more than combined total of those suffering from diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Such startling statistics beg for more effort to be put forth to bring clarity and solutions to a problem that plagues millions of people.
While
chronic pain treatment options vary from patient to patient,
opioid drugs are the most commonly prescribed pain management medication. Opioids are analgesic (pain-relieving) medications. Opioid use can be habit-forming and must be monitored carefully to prevent
prescription drug abuse, misuse, and diversion. The abuse of prescription drugs has reached near epidemic levels, creating a crisis that negatively affects individuals, families and communities.
The pain statistics below paint a bleak picture of the
quality of life for those suffering from chronic pain.
According to
Pain in America: A Research Report (2000):
- 36 million Americans missed work in the previous year due to pain
- 83 million said pain affected their participation in various activities
- 4 out of 5 Americans believe pain is a part of getting older
- 64 percent would only see a doctor if it got unbearable
- 28 percent felt like there's no solution for their pain
American Academy of Pain Medicine
- Reduced productivity due to pain costs employers somewhere between $60 and $100 billion annually
The Management of Chronic Pain in Office-Based Ambulatory Care: National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (1986)
- An estimated 70 million office visits for pain
The McNeil National Pain Study (1994)
- An estimated 1/5 of the adult American population experiences chronic pain
Ongoing research continues to attempt to tackle the giant of chronic pain and seeks to find a safe, healthy and lasting cure. Alternative treatments, such as exercise and diet change, can be helpful, but as the research points out, a lot of people believe that there is no solution for their pain. Although the world of chronic pain is still largely a gray area, as more researchers and doctors delve into unraveling its complexity, we get closer to bringing relief to pain sufferers everywhere.