Chronic Pain : One in five, UK ~ One in four U.S.

Pain :: Americans suffer from long term chronic pain - CDC
One in four U.S. adults say they suffered a day-long bout of pain in the past month, and one in 10 say the pain lasted a year or more, according to the government's annual, comprehensive report of Americans' health, Health United States, 2006, released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics.
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One in five of us is living with pain. Surely there’s a way out? UK
Whether it's a dodgy knee, a throbbing shoulder or an aching back, unremitting daily pain is wrecking lives. One recent survey suggested 20% of Scots suffer from some form of chronic pain. Indeed, recent statistics showed back pain alone being responsible for the loss of 4.5bn working days each year in the UK - at an annual cost of £5bn.Yet the provision of services appears not to address the issue, with many parts of Scotland not offering specialised pain services.It's not simply a lack of funding, says Mick McMenemy, lead clinician with the Glasgow Back Pain Service and chairman of the north branch of the UK's Physiotherapists' Pain Association, but a lack of understanding about the problem."Chronic pain can turn people's lives upside down, with many struggling to hold down a job," he says. "Some sufferers are bounced around different departments and clinics for years, sometimes achieving short-term relief, but not a cure, because often, chronic pain can't be cured."The incidence of self-reporting suggests one in five of us has ongoing pain, other reports put this figure at 7% or 10%. Whichever statistic you choose, the fact is there is a huge problem with people suffering daily."We need a shift in how our health services respond and the key to this is that pain, particularly chronic pain, is poorly understood. Many health professionals don't recognise it, never mind know how to treat it, and that's an educational challenge."There are ways of managing pain, but if you don't recognise the problem in the first place, you won't be able to help."If you ask most health professionals, they will tell you there is no provision for this at university level.
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