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Chronic Pain

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Pain is a major healthcare crisis in the United States. More than 50 million Americans suffer from chronic pain caused by various diseases and disorders, and each year another 25 million experience acute pain as a result of injury or surgery. Although most pain can be relieved or greatly eased with proper pain management, the sad part is that most pain goes untreated, undertreated, or improperly treated. No one should have to suffer needlessly when the knowledge and skills are available today to manage most pain.

If left untreated, chronic pain can prevent people from leading full and meaningful lives. If treated, once the pain is under control, the body and mind will be less stressed. Many patients who have been treated for chronic pain find that they are able to sleep , focus on work, enjoy relationships with family and friends, and take part in social activities significantly better than they could when battling pain.

Once chronic pain that has been caused by an injury or surgery is managed, patient recovery may be faster. Finding good pain care and taking control of pain can be hard work. It is important for sufferers of chronic pain to learn all they can about pain and possible treatments, to be persistent, and to insist on the right to a pain free life.

Pain care management not only faces quality health care issues, but also faces a political debate. This debate has sprung up around the issue of doctors prescribing strong opiates as pain medication. Opiates are addictive and can cause problems if patients do not follow exact instructions. In addition, an overdose can cause death.

The political debate surrounding this issue is that doctors are being urged by health insurance agencies not to prescribe opiates because of these potential hazards. A number of doctors have been brought up on charges of assisted suicide when patients overdose on medications that were prescribed to them. Many doctors now require patients to sign a consent form with detailed instructions and warnings concerning the medications that they will be prescribed in order to insure that patients are fully informed before starting the medication. Many pain care advocates note that doctors are not trained enough in pain care management.

LINKS AND RESOURCES
American Pain Society

American Academy of Pain Management

American Pain Foundation