Pain101.com

Mission Statement

This website was created with one major goal: to provide consumers with the most comprehensive one-stop resource possible for information about pain, its causes and treatment. Our goal is to collect and present to you FREE, authoritative, and unbiased information about…

Types of pain
Treatment methods (conventional and alternative)
Pain medications
Pain care MDs and specialists
Pain management programs and clinics

Information has been gathered from a wide variety of the most up-to-date public and private sector sources: government agencies, pain associations, market research studies, pain experts and consultants.

Pain in America

It has been estimated that 21% 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 American Medical Association estimates that 10% of Americans are dealing with chronic pain.

The National Institutes of Health claims that 40 million Americans are unable to find relief from their pain, which is chronic. The U.S. population is aging, manifesting associated diseases such as arthritis. In addition, growth in the number of surgeries and rising levels of obesity are contributing to lower back pain. Most consumers, despite more publicity about the field in recent years, still do not know that pain management programs exist in their area, nor how to find these practitioners. A study conducted for the American Pain Foundation found that an astonishing 78% of pain sufferers who sought medical treatment for their pain had never been referred to a pain specialist.

Treatment Methods

Until recently, the medical community has neglected the treatment of pain. Certain chronic pains such as migraines and gastrointestinal disorders have been shown in many patients to be related to psychological problems such as stress. Pain clinic doctors will look for lifestyle factors as well, such as alcoholism, a bad career or marriage, or childhood traumas. There is said to be a "huge gap between what is known about pain management, and what actually gets applied in practice."

With cancer pain, experts say that they have the tools to control the pain, but many times these are not used, due to patient and practitioner fears of addiction, lack of special training in pain among physicians, and the need for a multidisciplinary approach which cuts across medical boundaries.

Multidisciplinary or “interdisciplinary” pain centers often see patients with chronic pain only after they have endured several years of pain, failed surgery and left work—in many cases on compensation. Patients whose low-back pain persists for more than eight weeks are at high risk of developing a chronic condition.

Pain Drugs

Drugs are a key element in the treatment of pain. According to Pain Therapeutics, Inc., a pain drugs manufacturer, the United States and Western Europe market for pain drugs totals more than $12 billion. The pain management market has grown significantly in recent years and analysts expect it to continue to grow significantly.