Thanks to the American Academy of Pain (AAPM) we know some of the facts about how pain affects the lives of people. According to their research, in the United States health care for pain management is provided for a variety of diseases and conditions including cancer, heart diseases, strokes, and diabetes. All of these conditions combined total about 59 million sufferers in the United States but are nothing compared to number of people afflicted with chronic pain. Chronic pain alone almost doubles the number of sufferers from the other conditions, with 100 million people affected. This brings up the question about how pain affects you and your loved ones.
What Kind Of Pain Is Chronic Pain?
According to the study from AAPM, chronic pain can be broken down by the type of pain that people experience. By far, back pain is the most common type of pain, affecting 27% of chronic pain sufferers. The next two most common are migraine and neck pain at 15%. The last and least common is pain to the face at 4%.
Who Is Affected By Chronic Pain?
About 60% of people say they experience a surge in pain at least once a day and 51% replied that they have almost no control over their chronic pain. 30% of people over the age of 45 reports they have had pain that lasts more than a day. Between the ages of 20 to 44, 25% of people experience pain that lasts over 24 hours. Only about 21% of people in retirement experience long term pain.
Chronic Pain’s Long Reaching Impacts
Pain has a huge impact on the quality of people’s lives. Almost all (86%) of chronic pain sufferers do not sleep well . This lack of sleep increases the other affects of chronic pain. Understandably, depression affects over 77% of pain sufferers. Over 70% of people say they feel an effect on their level of energy and concentration. This all lead to 59% saying their pain leads to a decrease in their ability to enjoy life.
Pain Management – The ONLY Treatment For Some Chronic Pain Sufferers
Now that we know the what, where and how of pain, it is important to understand how people get their pain treated. About two thirds of people in pain go to their general practice family doctor. This usually is not the best idea though. Only about 25% of people actually make the smart choice to see a physician who specializes in dealing with pain, like the rheumatologists at IBJI. If you are a person who suffers from chronic pain you need to make an appointment today with a pain management specialist. Our physicians are some of the most highly trained and specialized pain doctors in the country, which makes IBJI the best choice around for your pain relief.
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