Pain Management Charlotte NC

Results from the “American Productivity Audit,” presented at the IASP/10^th World Congress on Pain in 2002, provided the first direct estimates of LPT from these pain conditions. Researchers found lost productivity time — i.e. work absence and reduced performance at work-averaged 5.9 hours per week for arthritis, 5.8 hours per week for back pain, 3.6 hours per week for headache, and 6.6 hours per week for other musculoskeletal pain. Extrapolating to the US workforce, researchers reported the preliminary estimated cost of these common pain conditions to employers was approximately $80 billion per year.

It has been estimated that 21.7% of adult Americans, or 34 million people, experience mild to moderate chronic pain to the degree that they seek relief from a physician.  Pain is the second most common reason people visit physicians - topped only by colds and upper respiratory infections. 

The National Institutes of Health claims that 40 million Americans are unable to find relief from their pain, which is chronic.  Other sources say the right figure is 50 million. Marketdata thinks that the smaller numbers are probably closer to reality, but there is obviously a difference of opinion as to which number is more accurate, depending on which study you use.

For example, an excellent study was conducted in January 1999 for the American Pain Society by Janssen Pharmaceutica and The American Academy of Pain Medicine (research performed by Roper Starch Worldwide).  The name is: Chronic Pain in America: Roadblocks to Relief.

One of the more significant findings of this study was that it is estimated that  9% of the U.S. adult population suffers from moderate to severe non-cancer related chronic pain. However, a newer Prevention Magazine/CBS News poll found that 12% had been diagnosed with chronic pain.  As of 2000 population estimates available from the government, there were 209 million adults in the nation (aged 18+).  This would mean, using the Janssen study as a guide, that there are approximately 18.8 million chronic pain sufferers in the United States.  Even if one considers the TOTAL population (292 million), this only equals 26.3 million. 

Chronic pain sufferers seek treatment because they are unable to perform daily activities, sleep, work, exercise, or concentrate.  Because of chronic pain, one-third of sufferers are not able to work or perform routine activities for one out of every three days of the year.  Of the people suffering from chronic pain, 60% are women.