September 1, 2016

Pain Awareness Month was first acknowledged in 2001 to increase awareness about the effects of pain, educate citizens about the advanced treatment options available to help alleviate pain, and provide resources for individuals and families who are struggling with pain management.

Lack of pain management training has been cited as one of the barriers to effective pain management. One of the main goals of Pain Awareness Month is to raise awareness and open the lines of communication between health care professionals and individuals so that pain management issues can be better understood and addressed.

Pain Fast Facts:

• Nearly 100 million Americans experience chronic pain—more than those who have diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined.¹
• 83 million Americans indicate that pain affects basic functioning in their everyday lives.¹
• Workers lose an average of 4.6 hours per week of productive time due to a pain condition.¹
• It is estimated that 80% of Americans will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives.⁵

Take this opportunity to learn more about pain management by utilizing your Academy’s resources. We have a special pain and spine track at the 2016 Annual Assembly, an SAE-P focused on pain management, articles on PM&R Knowledge NOW^®, and more!

Pain Activities on mē^®:

• REMS Playbook for Opioid Prescribing—complimentary resource with 3 FREE CME!
• MOC|3 Pain Management Online Review Course
• MOC|4 Low Back Pain Practice Improvement Project (PIP)—included with your membership!
• Case studies, PM&R Journal articles, and slide lectures
• Various pain medicine articles on PM&R Knowledge NOW^®

References:

1. https://www.cpspain.com/pain-awareness-month/
2. http://www.unitedspinal.org/
3. http://www.spinalcord.org/
4. http://www.pva.org/
5. http://www.painphysicians.com/