Looking At The History Of Pain Awareness Month

September 2, 2020 / Thomas Cohn, MD

September is here, and that means it is officially pain awareness month here in the United States. We’ve written about pain awareness month on the blog in the past, but today we wanted to take a closer look at how this campaign came to be and why it is so important for chronic pain sufferers, their families and their physicians.

A Brief History Of Pain Awareness Month

Pain awareness month was officially established in 2001 led by efforts from the American Chronic Pain Association. The fact that chronic pain has only been officially recognized for less than 20 years speaks to how dearly a campaign like this was needed. Many chronic pain patients suffer in silence because of the stigma of chronic pain or because of how they believe they may be perceived by others. By developing the campaign, the ACPA hoped to normalize chronic pain and help prevent these feelings of loneliness that can often accompany a chronic pain diagnosis.

Two years after the declaration of pain awareness month, the ACPA held a conference during September to further their agenda. The conference featured speakers and workshops on topics like:

Pain in the workplace
Pain and the family
When kids hurt
Women in pain/Men in pain

Media was invited to attend and further spread the work that chronic pain is something that millions of people deal with on a daily basis.

A few years later, pain kits were put together and distributed at the conference and online to help those in pain better manage their conditions. Toolkits were also provided for nurse and pharmacists, two groups who work closely with individuals in chronic pain. More than 150,000 kits were distributed by the end of 2006. By 2007, the ACPA felt that pain awareness month had officially been established, so they turned their sites on state-level changes across the US.

We’ve written about pain awareness month on the blog a few times in the past because we want to do our part to help bring attention to the problem of pain. Research for chronic pain conditions is grossly underfunded, and awareness campaigns like this can help drive funds towards new treatments and a renewed ability to understand the complexity of pain. Hopefully these campaigns are successful and we can continue to bring awareness and crucial funding to treat a variety of chronic pain conditions.

So if you are battling chronic pain or a chronic pain condition, know that you are not alone and that there are resources out there for you. We know firsthand how difficult chronic pain can be to treat, but you can get control of it if you’re willing to work with a doctor who will take the time to really listen to your concerns and uncover your root causes of pain. Dr. Cohn and his team have done that for so many people already, and he can do the same for you. For more information or to set up an appointment with his team, give them a call today at (952) 738-4580.

The Importance of Pain Awareness Month

September 17, 2015September 17, 2015 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Pain affects up to 80 percent of the population at some point in their life for at least a short time, and across the world, 40 percent of the population suffers from chronic pain. The financial impact of pain is in the billions of dollars a year, and is thought to be more costly than all other diseases combined. However, the amount of money spent on research to treat pain is less than 5 percent of all the dollars spent on health research. Changing the face of pain is left to a very small group of medical providers who work in this tough field.

Pain practitioners are found in many medical professions, from dentistry and acupuncture to traditional medical physicians. Research is often left to those who are treating patients daily, and there are very few dedicated to spending most of their time performing ground-level analysis of causes of pain and associated conditions.

Unfortunately, some of the best clinicians who treat pain are so busy managing the many patients who need their services that they do not have the time to transform their knowledge into meaningful studies to pass on to the rest of the world. Most of us would love to have a dedicated staff to transform our ideas into meaningful studies to develop better systems to treat complex pain problems, but no one is providing money for this work.

Pain is a complex problem that affects both psychological and physical aspects of our lives. It is a billion dollar problem and virtually no money is being spent on research. This is why Pain Awareness Month is so important, so we can help bring the problem to the forefront and bring more dollars to research and treat of this prolific problem.

September is Pain Awareness Month

September 8, 2015 / Thomas Cohn, MD

September is Pain Awareness Month, and as the name implies, the goal of the month is to help raise awareness and spread the word about chronic pain. As we’ve stated before, more than 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. We want to help share their stories and explain what they go through on a regular basis, so here’s more information about one of the leading causes of disability in America.

Chronic Pain Problems

Chronic pain can affect any part of your body. Below is a closer look at some areas that are commonly affected by chronic pain, and some of the symptoms that accompany those painful areas.

Chronic Arthritis – Arthritis pain is caused by inflammation in your joints, and millions of Americans suffer from chronic arthritis in their fingers, knees and toes. Most people associate arthritis pain with older individuals, but nearly 300,000 children suffer from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Chronic Headaches – Headaches and migraines are another chronic condition that can make it hard to go about your daily routine. Crippling or shooting pain in your head can be caused by a chemical imbalance or a poor diet. If exercise and diet modifications don’t stop the headaches, pain injections or other treatment options can provide temporary relief.

Chronic Back Pain – Chronic back pain is probably the condition I treat most at my clinic. Whether chronic pain develops from overuse or acute injury, it can make life extremely painful for the patient. Luckily, modern medicine continues to improve how we diagnose and treat back injuries. Through physical therapy, injections or even surgery, most people find some sort of pain relief.

Chronic Leg Pain – Chronic leg pain typically occurs when there is an issue with nerves in your legs and feet. Nerve issues in your leg can cause shooting pain in your legs and spine. Again, physical therapy and injections can help treat the issue, as well as surgery to remove the damaged nerves.

Chronic Neck Pain – Chronic neck pain typically sets in after an acute injury, like whiplash from a car accident or a sports injury. Neck pain can make it extremely painful to turn your head or preform routine activities. Treatment of whiplash typically involves rest, physical therapy, injections and strengthening exercises.

If you or someone you know deals with chronic pain on a regular basis, encourage them to seek out professional help. You shouldn’t have to live life in pain, so speak to a pain specialist today.