September is Pain Awareness Month

September is Pain Awareness Month, a time when the chronic pain community comes together to raise public awareness of issues in the area of pain and pain management.  Chronic pain affects 50 million Americans, translating to 20.4% of the adult population.  Chronic pain is one of the most common reasons adults seek medical care.  It limits daily activities and causes anxiety, depression and reduced quality of life.    

The US Pain Foundation recently published a chronic pain fact sheet that puts this crisis into perspective.  A few startling statistics include: 

• Each year the nation spends over $600 billion on chronic pain in terms of medical treatments, disability payments, and lost productivity. 
• For every 10,000 people with severe chronic pain, there is only 1 board-certified pain specialist. 
• Veterinary students spend 5 times as many hours learning about pain management as medical students. 

We believe that neurotechnology can be part of the solution to the chronic pain crisis by providing safe pain relief.   At Quell, we seek to understand and respond to challenges facing the chronic pain community by developing innovative pain relief solutions and investing in chronic pain research.  We encourage those living with chronic pain, or who know a loved one suffering, to take advantage of the events sponsored this month by the US Pain Foundation.  

Sources:  

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6736a2.htm

https://uspainawarenessmonth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/PAM-Chronic-Pain-Facts-2.pdf