National Day of Action to be celebrated on September 26

Sep 24 2009

Saturday, September 26 officially has been designated as National Day of Action, in support of National Pain Awareness Month. To help promote awareness of chronic pain and how to access help, Valley Pain Specialists, an 11-member physicians group of board-certified, fellowship-trained pain medicine specialists, are launching a speaking circuit where they plan to meet with groups of patients and physicians throughout the community to raise awareness about pain, highlight the issues surrounding pain management and address the lack of access to pain care.

According to the American Pain Foundation, chronic pain impacts an estimated 76.5 million Americans, with more than 1 million residents just in Arizona alone. A hallmark of many chronic conditions, pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined, according to the National Centers for Health Statistics.

"Chronic pain affects quality of life and also reduces work force productivity," said Daniel Choi, MD, Medical Director, Valley Pain Specialists. "Despite the high prevalence of pain in our community, access to appropriate and effective pain care remains a barrier for many Arizonans."

Choi added, "These barriers may include limited access to health insurance or choice of physicians, limited access to prescribed pain treatments, limited access to pain specialists who have been appropriately trained in pain management, and negative stereotypes about chronic pain patients."

Facts about Chronic Pain

According to the National Center for Health Statistics National Household Survey:

• More than 26 percent of Americans age 20 years and over - or, an estimated 76.5 million Americans - report they have had a problem with pain of some nature that has persisted for more than 24 hours in duration. This number does not account for acute pain.
• Thirty percent of adults, ages 45-64 years, were the most likely to report pain lasting more than 24 hours.
• Nearly three percent more women than men reported they were in pain.
• White adults reported pain five percent more often than Black adults, and more than 12 percent than Hispanics.

Source: http://www.conqueringpaintogether.org