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.

September Is Pain Awareness Month

September 14, 2017 / Thomas Cohn, MD

If you don’t deal with pain on a regular basis, odds are you don’t realize how big of a problem pain is in our society. That being said, there’s a good chance you do deal with pain, because roughly one in three adults is the United States is battling a pain condition. Whether it’s from arthritis of the hips, carpal tunnel in the wrist or another painful conditional, pain is very prevalent here in America.

To help bring awareness to the pain problem, September has officially been declared Pain Awareness Month. Today, we hope to share some facts about pain and bring attention to the problem so that we can work towards a solution.

Everyone’s Pain Is Different

Pain is unique to the individual. Even though you may share a diagnosis with thousands of other people, your pain is going to be unique to you, so it should come as no surprise that treatments can differ greatly even if two people are diagnosed with the same pain condition. For some, physical therapy, exercise and a diet change can help keep pain at bay, while others will find relief with acupuncture, yoga and anti-inflammatory medications.

The key to treating pain is to treat the underlying condition, not the symptoms. Some passive treatment techniques like opioids or pain injections help to decrease pain levels in the short term, but they do nothing to treat the underlying problem, which means these patients will never truly be rid of pain. Pain specialists are great at finding the underlying cause and developing treatment strategies to fix the true source of pain. It’s not always going to be easy, but trust us when we say it will be worth it in the long run.

Treating pain also needs to be a two-way street. There is no magic pill to cure your of your pain, so while a doctor can help diagnose your pain and suggest treatment options, we can’t force you to take part in therapy or eat a healthier diet. The desire to get rid of daily pain needs to come from the patient. We will do everything possible to help you on your journey, but we can’t do it for you. Meeting with a pain specialist is a great way to set and manage expectation between doctor and patient.

Facts About Pain

To better explain just how prevalent chronic and acute pain is in today’s society, check out some of the facts about pain below.

Over 75 million Americans deal with a pain condition, more than those diagnosed with cancer and diabetes combined.
30 percent of adults between the ages of 45-64 experience pain that lasts longer than 24 hours.
The estimated annual cost of chronic pain in the US is more than $100 billion.
1 in 5 people experience pain that disrupts their ability to sleep.
Back pain is the leading cause of disability for people under the age of 45.
Less than half of pain sufferers feel like they have control over their pain.
More than 75 percent of individuals with chronic pain say they suffer from depressive thoughts or anxiety.
Headaches were the most common type of pain that led to lost productivity in the workplace.
Only 15 percent of people with a pain condition go to a pain specialist. Most prefer their primary care doctor.

If you are dealing with a pain condition, consider setting up an appointment with a pain specialist. Your doctor has a wide range of medical knowledge, but they lack the depth of knowledge about specific pain conditions that a specialist has. If you want to set up an appointment, reach out to Dr. Cohn’s office today.

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.