The American Chronic Pain Association reminds us that the month of September has been declared Pain Awareness Month.  “Pain Awareness Month is a time when various organizations work to raise public awareness of issues in the area of pain and pain management.”

Chronic pain treatment has been in the spotlight recently due to rising concerns about the dangers of taking opiate medications in an attempt to manage it.  Issues include addiction, over-dose and death, gateway to illegal drugs and “opiate induced hypersensitivity” whereby exposure to opiates causes the patient to become more sensitive and experience more pain.

Chronic pain also presents a substantial economic and public health burden. The following map, based on current figures and census data on state populations, estimates that 116,000,000 Americans experience chronic pain.  Imagine every human being in the shaded states experiencing ongoing pain. (1)
Imagine the entire shaded region, 116 million people, where every single individual experiences ongoing pain every day. Every person you see on the street, on a bus, at home, at work… including you, is in pain almost all of the time.  I think we need more than a Pain Awareness Month to address this, but it’s a start!

Researchers asked Americans:  “Do you visit a chiropractor or osteopathic physician for “hands on” therapy? Are you looking for treatment of a specific health problem or are you interested in disease prevention/general health and wellness enhancement?”