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Why some chronic pain goes untreated

Chronic pain is a very real part of life for one in every three Americans, yet according to the American Pain Foundation half aren't getting adequate pain relief. Why is some of this chronic pain going untreated? The answer lies in three factors.

 

Some patients feel that their pain is inevitable. That everyone hurts from something and that aches and pains are normal. Some of these people will have a fear of pain relievers, believing that they will get addicted and therefore opt out of taking their pain medication program because of this fear of addiction. Then there are others that feel that it is okay to live with pain, because many have heard in their lives "we can't do anything else, you'll have to live with it". This isn't the case. You have a right not to hurt, you have the ability to seek counseling services and psychological help for any addiction problems you may or may not encounter and you certainly don't have to live with pain because someone thinks its ok. Fight for your recovery.

 

There are those doctors and health professionals that just don't have the training in proper pain management. They treat the illness or disease and then when typical methods fail, they are uncertain how to proceed in the patient's recovery. There are some that are reluctant to prescribe pain medications to their patients for fear that they will become addicted to them. Then there are others that will not bring up alternative therapies when the drugs fail because they don't have faith in holistic methods. If this is the case, seek out all alternatives in your search for pain management. You deserve a well rounded treatment program.

 

Some companies will be self defeating in that they will not cover some pain medications and preventative procedures. This is usually for a cost control measure for the company, but it typically is self defeating in that the patient will end up needing a lifelong of care and treatment because of the lack of proper preventative measures early on. Some experimental treatments aren't funded because they aren't documented for the illness, just as some medications will not be covered because of them not being normally prescribed for that illness. This "off brand" prescribing works in many cases, yet insurance companies typically have their list of "preferred treatments".

 

Source: Reader's Digest, Complete Guide to Pain Relief, 2000, ISBN 0-7621-0278-0

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