US Pharm. 2006;5:11.       

According to the American Pain Foundation, more than 80 million people (68% of all full-time employees) suffer from pain-related conditions, and more than 17 million people took sick days in 1995 due to pain conditions, resulting in 50 million lost workdays.

Among pain sufferers, 80% experienced short-term disability; 18% of these attributed pain to work-related injuries. Forty percent of pain sufferers had joint pain/aching/stiffness, with 23% suffering for up to 10 weeks, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Low back pain affected 38% of the pain sufferers, while neck pain that lasted over three months affected 18%. Twenty percent suffered from severe headaches or migraines. Seventeen percent were affected by pain of the right knee, and an equal number by the left knee. Pain in the fingers/thumbs of both hands affected 10% of pain sufferers.




Arthritis, back pain, cancer, and headache are the major contributors to onset of pain. Twenty-six million women suffer from arthritis, and an equal number of Americans between the ages of 20 and 64 experience frequent back pain. A majority (68%) of adults in the United States experience back pain during their lifetime. About 25 million Americans suffer from migraines; 90% of Americans have nonmigraine headaches each year.

Although 70% of cancer patients suffer from significant pain, only half receive treatment for pain. Some people avoid taking pain medication because they fear they may become addicted to the drug. Yet, when pain is intolerable, 67% of Americans use high doses of pain medications like morphine, despite being warned of the high risk of addiction. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most common prescription medications used for pain relief, and 70% of pain sufferers self-medicate with painkillers.

An increasing number of Americans are turning to complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM ) to mitigate pain. Over two thirds of the U.S. population use CAM therapies, including herbal medicine, massage, and homeopathy. The growth rate in the number of users of CAM is 15% per year, and there is growing interest among medical students to be trained in CAM therapies. The increased use of CAM , along with the nonprescription drug use to treat pain, provides an opportunity for pharmacists to assist patients in finding appropriate treatment options.

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