Chronic Pain In The 1960

Research has shown that there are several organizations and active advocates who are working on pain management problems to face this public health issue. The following establishments involve: The American Academy of Pain Medicine, Institute of Medicine, and American Pain Society and many for-profit and nonprofit organizations are also working at different level towards pain management. Most specifically, the IOM has been devoted to studying pain and its consequences on individuals, the healthcare system, as well as on government (IOM, 2011).

According to The World Health Organisation (1999), defined pain as an unpleasant sensory or emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage. Pain is traditionally described as acute or chronic pain. The prevalence of chronic pain (CP) is higher than of acute of pain, as it affects 7.8 million people of all ages in the UK (Chronic Pain Policy Coalition., 2006). The current leading cause of mortality that is accounting for 60% of all deaths is due to chronic diseases and is also a problem as causes an increasing burden on the health care service (World Health Organisation., 2007). CP can affect a person’s quality of life if managed poorly, statistics shows that 25% of people lose their job and 22% leads to depression. (Chronic Pain Policy Coalition.,

As a Northwestern University professor of Anesthesiology, Honorio T. Benzon, defines chronic pain is “a demoralizing state that confronts individuals not only with the distress created by the symptoms but also with many other ongoing difficulties that compromise all aspects of their lives” (Benzon). Therefore, chronic pain is rooted in a variety of neurologic functions, integrated from the brain that affects the individual internally and externally. According to David B. Reuben MD, a professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine,

Murray J. McAllister created this website because he had concerns for how chronic pain was being understood and managed in the current healthcare system. There is no uniform or consistency in how chronic pain is being treated among healthcare providers. Many providers also correlate chronic pain to a previous orthopedic injury and not from a nervous system related condition. This poses many concerns

The etiology of chronic pain is complex and may be due to a number of different factors. Current therapeutics often fail to produce adequate analgesia for moderate-to-severe pain

Chronic pain is ongoing. Chronic pain lingers for months or years and can impact your physical and emotional well-being.

In the United States, over 50 million people suffer from chronic pain. The annual cost of chronic pain is around $100 billion. Moreover, 46% of the people suffering from chronic pain lack adequate pain relief (http://www.painfoundation.org/painful.htm).

There are a variety of pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches in managing chronic pain. These are broken down to six major categories; they are pharmacological, interventional, neuromodulation, physical medicine, behavioral medicine and surgical approaches (1). A coordinated multidisciplinary team approach and detailed patient's history is essential in tailoring a patient-specific treatment plan that will meet treatment goals. A number of randomized systematic reviews found strong evidence that multidisciplinary approach including bio-psychosocial rehabilitation improves functional status when compared with non-multidisciplinary care (2,3). Here, we will focus our discussion on some of the advantages and disadvantages of medical management versus interventional management of chronic pain.

Chronic pain in older adults is defined as ‘‘an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage, for persons who are either aged (65 to 79 years old) or very aged (80 and over) and who have had pain for greater than 3 months’’ (Lynch, 2000, p.270). The consequences of chronic pain may also be related to impaired activities of daily living (ADLs), physical disability, accidents, gait abnormalities, polypharmacy, and cognitive decline in older adults (Mantyselka et al., 2001; Kaye et al., 2010; Shega et al., 2010). Therefore, chronic pain has negative affects on older adults, their families, and social relationships.

This type of pain can have severe economic and societal burdens, in addition to the biological, psychological, and social consequences for the individual. It is estimated that individuals with chronic pain miss about five or more days of work per year compared to individuals with no pain (Institute of Medicine, 2011). In addition, the amount of pain related medical care is extremely high. In 2008, pain related medical care alone was found to account for about 14% of all Medicare costs (Institute of Medicine, 2011). In addition, an association between chronic pain and substance abuse, specifically prescription opiate, illicit drug, and alcohol abuse, has also been found (Taft, Schwartz, & Liebschutz, 2010). It is clear that chronic pain has significant costs to the economy. However, these estimates exclude emotional and social costs related to the individuals and their families. Individuals with chronic pain often experience disruptions in ability to work, attend school, and participate in family and leisure activities (Leonard, Cano, & Johansen, 2006). These problems may also lead to an increase in stress which may result in psychological problems such as anxiety and depression, as well as

“Chronic pain is even worse to live with than lung, cardiac or liver disease. Bad chronic pain is connected with the worst quality of life. People don’t realize that it is a disease on its own, not just a symptom.” (qtd in MacCallum par 1) Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than six months. It can affect different parts of your body and nervous system. (Blahd par. 1) Sometimes the pain is so severe that it is debilitating. That is where pain medication comes into play.

Chronic pain is a common condition that affects over 100 million individuals in the United States (Kirkham, 2015). Researchers have performed many different types of quantitative studies to examine individuals with chronic pain. There are only a limited number of qualitative studies that examine these conditions. The research paper reviewed 7 individual women who have suffered from various forms of chronic pain with an average of 12 years with the condition (Kirkham, 2015). A review of the data collected, the reliability and the credibility of the study will be discussed.

The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage” (1979). Pain is actually the culprit behind warranting a visit to a physician office for many people (Besson, 1999). Notoriously unpleasant, pain could also pose a threat as both a psychological and economic burden (Phillips, 2006). Sometimes pain does happen without any damage of tissue or any likely diseased state. The reasons for such pain are poorly understood and the term used to describe such type of pain is “psychogenic pain”. Also, the loss of productivity and daily activity due to pain is also significant. Pain engulfs a trillion dollars of GDP for lost work time and disability payments (Melnikova, 2010). Untreated pain not only impacts a person suffering from pain but also impacts their whole family. A person’s quality of life is negatively impacted by pain and it diminishes their ability to concentrate, work, exercise, socialize, perform daily routines, and sleep. All of these negative impacts ultimately lead to much more severe behavioral effects such as depression, aggression, mood alterations, isolation, and loss of self-esteem, which pose a great threat to human society.

Chronic pain is defined as a pain that doesn’t go away for a long time. The pain can last for weeks, more than 3 months, years, and might make someone feel hopeless. Chronic pain does not relief with regular pain medication. It is important to address chronic pain because is physically and psychologically stressful. Its persistent discomfort can lead to irritation and frustration with the person’s self and with other people. Pain affects not only mental health but interfere also with someone’s sleep pattern.

Pain is a basic mechanism in life that helps the body identify that something is wrong or dangerous. Without pain, the body would be severely damaged without realizing it. Pain can become an inconvenience when it spirals out of control; chronic pain, for example, leaves many miserable and unable to enjoy life to its fullest extent even with traditional medical intervention. Around 80% of people report chronic pain in their lifetime (Holtzman & Beggs, 2013). People afflicted by chronic back pain turn to modern medicine for relief, but even these alternatives are not always 100% effective.