Half of Americans think they'll never have a pain-free day again

[ansible]

NEW YORK — Nearly half of Americans worry they’ll never have another pain-free day in their lives. A new study asked 2,000 Americans about their daily experience and the impact on their life of dealing with aches and pains. Along with finding that 48 percent believe they’ll never have a pain-free day again, the average American says they only have 13 truly pain-free days every year.

During a typical year, with the global pandemic aside, respondents’ pain can be so intense that it causes them to cancel plans, making a significant impact on the enjoyment of their daily lives. Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Axogen, the survey asked respondents about their experiences with chronic pain. Thirty-seven percent have received a diagnosis for chronic pain at some point, defined as ongoing pain that usually lasts longer than six months.

Among those who haven’t received an official diagnosis (approximately 1,200 respondents), 18 percent suspect they do in fact have chronic pain. Regardless of their diagnosis, 44 percent wish their doctor would provide more pain management solutions than prescription painkillers.

In fact, the average respondent feels six years older than they actually are due to aches and pains. Five or more times throughout the day, the average American can feel discomfort when they sit down or stand up. When it comes to pain tolerance, however, it may actually be true that women tolerate pain more than men. In fact, 65 percent of respondents agree that women have a higher pain tolerance than men.

https://www.studyfinds.org/pain-free-days-painkillers-nerve-injury/

[CrispyQ]

1. "...the average American says they only have 13 truly pain-free days every year."

I wish they'd included age range. If this was all seniors, then I wouldn't be so surprised, but because they didn't mention age, I think it was a cross-section of ages, which makes this stat really surprising to me.

[ansible]

3. Another article mentions most people feeling pain in their 40s

https://www.studyfinds.org/is-40-the-new-60-survey-reveals-most-adults-bodies-start-to-break-down-in-their-40s/

[Hortensis]

9. Surprisingly ridiculous as stated? I also wonder about that 37% who've

"received a diagnosis of chronic pain" over 6 months.

[Coventina]

2. But, we criminalize this situation by making opiods almost impossible to get.

Part of this is biology: we weren't meant to live as long as we do. We're meant to get chomped by a predator sometime before we hit 40.

Until science can fix that issue, we need to take pain management seriously in this country and that means using ALL available options, including narcotics.

But no, because some people might like to use narcotics to get high, we must punish EVERYONE!!!



Grow the f*ck up, America!
(Probably won't happen in my lifetime)

[ProfessorGAC]

7. Spot On!

I'm with my wife right now and she's getting a nerve block procedure for her back.
But, mild pain killers are not even on the agenda.
She was on them in the past. 30 day supply. Usually lasted 42-45 days, so clearly no evidence of abuse.
And, no refills, so prescribing doctor knows exactly how often scrip is being written.
Now, GP won't prescribe anymore (hospital corp rule), surgeon (who says surgery won't fix this) doesnt, & new pain doctor says it's strictly a last resort.
Ridiculous.

[marybourg]

4. Paid for by a company that provides some kind

of pain surgery.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

5. Our culture is so cruel when it comes to pain.

[Johnny2X2X]

6. Very narrow article

What are the causes of the pain? Is obesity a factor?

[luvs2sing]

8. I've had pain most of my life.

I’m 64. I’ve had multiple damn-if-I’m-not-klutz injuries and athletic injuries. I’ve had fibromyalgia and whiplash and back pain from undiagnosed scoliosis. I’ve had traction, physical therapy, and TENS units. What works best to alleviate pain for me? A couple ibuprofen or Tylenol, some ice or heat, and stretching. It’s not just that anything stronger causes uncontrolled vomiting with me..these things simply work better.

[Raven]

10. Wow! I'm 75 and female and I would say that most of my days are pain free. I broke

my hip last winter and that was painful but that pain lasted about 2 months. I hardly ever take an aspirin. BUT, I'm retired and doing things that I love to do.