09/15/2020
🔸September is Pain Awareness Month🔸
Pain Awareness Month was started in 2001 with the goal of facilitating earlier diagnosis and appropriate treatment of chronic pain conditions. In the US alone,
50 million people suffer from chronic pain and 20 million of these people suffer from high-impact chronic pain which significantly impairs their quality of life and functional status. In fact, chronic pain is the most common cause of long-term disability.
Pain is defined as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage.” A key part of this definition is that pain can’t be inferred solely from activity in sensory neurons and that pain is always a personal experience that is influenced to varying degrees by biological, psychological and social factors.
As I was educating myself on resources available for patients suffering from chronic pain, I came across 2 that I liked a lot.
This Is Pain. This is a project where people suffering from chronic pain had their pain journey depicted through body art. Their IG account is , where they share useful information and tips with the goals of combating stigma associated with chronic pain and to improve the lives of people living with chronic pain.
Another cool resource is mypainplan.org through the US Pain Foundation, and this website allows patients to explore different treatment options available to them so they can learn about their options and decide which interventions they feel comfortable exploring. They can use this pain plan in conjunction with their pain management provider in order to better communicate their preferences when it comes to their care.
There are SO many other resources out there, and, if you’re looking for other resources, check out the American Chronic Pain Association (theacpa.org).
