Many US Service Members Battle Chronic Pain Daily

July 6, 2021 / Thomas Cohn, MD

A new report suggests that chronic pain is more common in military members than it is in the average population, an eye-opening statistic when you consider the physical capabilities needed to become an active service member. It also begs the question, “Are we doing enough to combat chronic pain among our men and women in the armed services?”

According to a new study by the nonpartisan group Rand Corp., between 31 and 44 percent of active-duty service members suffer from chronic pain. In fact, chronic pain is listed as the main factor leading to disability for active duty service members. Rand Corp. stated that the Defense Department has recently begun to take tangible steps to help combat the problem of chronic pain among our troops, but it’s not just about access to chronic pain care, it’s about access to quality pain care.

“Accurately measuring the quality of pain treatment is an essential step toward improving care,” the group said in its report.

Outpacing Civilian Chronic Pain

Chronic pain affects roughly 20 percent of the civilian population, so the fact that chronic pain among service members is roughly double that is a major cause for concern. And while being in the military is obviously a very physically demanding job, it’s not just about the physical toll that they put their body through, it’s also about the mental and emotional stress that comes with being a service member. When you also consider the stigma of wanting to appear tough and in turn delaying treatment, it’s easy to see why chronic pain is so prevalent in our armed forces.

“The substantially higher prevalence of pain among service members has been attributed to a high rate of injuries from deployments, the mental and physical demands of military service, and a possible tendency to delay care-seeking for painful conditions,” said Rand Corp. in their report.

Other findings from the report include:

Back pain and joint disorders are the most common types of chronic pain experienced by our troops.
Musculoskeletal pain accounted for 60 percent of limited duty days and the reason why 65 percent of soldiers were medically unfit to deploy.
Service members also experience more complex pain syndromes compared to the average citizen.

The only good news to come out of this report is that fact that because chronic pain is so prevalent, it’s easier to draw attention to the issue. If the military is willing to spend the money to help find chronic pain solutions for our troops, it may also spill over into chronic pain care for the average American. Better yet, the Department of Defense could fund billions of dollars into top notch research programs to help find treatments and cures for a wide range of chronic pain issues.

Regardless of whether or not you’re a service member, if you’re dealing with chronic pain, trust your case to an experienced pain management specialist like Dr. Cohn. He’ll work with you every step of the way to find an individualized treatment plan suited to your specific needs. Click here to learn how you can get in contact with his office.

In the News: Torture and Pain

December 22, 2014December 22, 2014 / Thomas Cohn, MD

There has been extensive debate in political circles about whether torture of prisoners should be allowed and the ethics behind using torture to obtain confessions. The pain of the interrogation process is said to force the prisoner to give out reasonable, actionable information. Furthermore, the “horrible” acts of these prisoners justify the means to obtain the information. We also know that this type of pain is temporary.

In the United States, about 40% of the population suffers from chronic pain. On a daily basis, many people live with trying to manage their pain. The hope is that pain does not interfere in their activity and they can continue to enjoy life. For many, pain is torture, and the problem haunts every aspect of their lives. It often is a 24-hour problem, affecting daytime activities and interrupting nighttime sleep. Medicine does not have an answer or cure for many things that cause ongoing pain. No one wishes pain on another, and we all want to develop a better treatment so others do not have to suffer.

The Correlation Between Chronic Pain and Torture

So if pain is something that we do not wish on anyone, how can we as a society ever say it is okay? If we believe that it is not okay to inflict pain on others willfully, than torturing another is clearly wrong. The end does not justify the means. Those in power who feel torture and inflicting pain on others is worthwhile seem to lack a moral compass. A society that tries to improve the world cannot move forward by inflicting physical pain on others. Watching anyone who has chronic pain try to meet the challenges of life on a daily basis, it is clear that causing more pain is not okay. It is heartbreaking to tell someone that there is not a cure for their pain, and it is immoral to purposefully inflict unnecessary pain on anyone for political reasons.

Those in power in our country need to remember that we are a nation of freedom. We are a nation that has become the power and the standard of law by respecting the rights of the individual. Many in our country have suffered from the problems of life in other countries and have come to this country due to the higher standards we place on the importance of life.

From those who suffer from pain every day, to those whose mission in life is to treat the problems that cause pain in life, causing pain by inflicting harm on political or war prisoner is not okay. There is no such thing as justified torture, no such thing as enhanced interrogations being morally acceptable. 40% of the population deals with pain on a daily basis. We are always trying to find solutions for the problem. It is not right for our government to be actively trying to cause intense physical pain on individuals in our captivity. We need to be spending our efforts in helping those in our country to live better lives.

Chronic Pain in the Military

December 10, 2014January 18, 2016 / Thomas Cohn, MD

A recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that chronic pain in active and former military members is a significant problem.

The study surveyed 2,597 soldiers who served in either Iraq or Afghanistan in 2011 in order to understand how chronic pain affects their everyday lives. According to the survey results:

45.4 percent reported suffering combat injuries.

44 percent reported experiencing chronic pain.

48.3 percent reported pain lasting at least a year.

55.6 percent said they suffer from “constant” pain.

51.2 percent said their pain was moderate to severe.

Those tasked with helping military members reintegrate back into society after a deployment know the management of physical and emotional pain is crucial. The study also attempted to uncover how military members use opioids to aid in pain management.

“I had conducted a similar study at [the] CDC because we felt that it was important to understand [the] use of opioids to get a greater context for misuse and abuse,” said lead author Dr. Robin L. Toblin, a clinical research psychologist at the Walter Reed Army Institute. “When I began my current position, we sought to look at the same constructs within a military population, who seemed to be that much more likely to be in pain due to the combat deployments over the last decade.”

Dr. Toblin noted that providing opioid therapy and management to combat veterans is key. Opioids can certainly ease pain after a combat injury, but problems can arise if veterans try to self-medicate or are uninformed about proper dosages. According to Dr. Toblin, 15.1 percent of soldiers say they have received opioid-based therapy to control their chronic pain.

“[Based on these findings], we hope that the military services will be more aware of the unmet needs for the assessment, management and treatment of pain and will broaden the services and availability of those services for servicemembers,” Dr. Toblin said.

The findings have touched off some debate over whether military members should be taking opioids. Obviously we want returning service members to be pain free, while others claim the drugs could affect their physical and mental performance. In the end, I think it really comes down to taking a strong, hands-on approach to ensure our veterans and returning servicemembers get the care they deserve and a treatment strategy that suits their individual situation.