One in Four Americans Suffer from Pain Ailments

PRLog (Press Release) – May 08, 2008 – A recent study published in the British journal the Lancet, show that more than a quarter of the American population suffer daily pain. In addition to this, about $60 billion a year are lost are lost for productivity. These computations are based on the amount of paycheck and the frequency of pain. The study was conducted by the researchers led by Princeton economist Alan Krueger and Stony Brook University psychiatry professor Dr. Arthur Stone.

The research based its computations on the amount of salary and frequency of pain among household members. In general Americans earn about $30,000 annually and experience moderate to severe pain about 20 percent of their lives.

Krueger notes the type of pain among individuals vary from one person to another and on either side of the rich-people poor divide. "Those with higher incomes welcome pain almost by choice, usually through exercise," he says. "At lower incomes, pain comes as the result of work." Indeed, Krueger and Stone found that blue-collar workers felt more pain, from physical labor or repetitive motion, while on the job than off, which at least offers hope that the problem can be mitigated. This finding "focuses on the need for pain preventing measures in the work place like better ergonomics," wrote Juha H.O. Turunen, a professor of social pharmacy at Finland's University of Kuopio, in an accompanying commentary to the report.

In addition to this, the study found out that individuals with chronic pain also discovered that it’s costing U.S. businesses as much as $60 billion annually. These factors are based on previous studies on productivity lost to common pain conditions, which includes a 2003 report finding that nearly 15% of the U.S. workforce's output was affected by chronic pain conditions like headaches and arthritis. The Kruger and Stone study on the other hand add that the level of detail which the researchers where able to account the loves of Americans who experience pain. Aided by a polling firm Gallup, they asked close to 4,000 people to record their daily activities. The researchers used the personal accounts to evaluate the people’s emotional conditions. Though participants said interacting with a spouse or friend lowered their pain, those suffering chronic pain tended to socialize much less.

The Krueger and Stone study suggests that men and women are almost equally likely to experience pain. Age is another factor. People reported they experience more pains and aches as they got older, though surprisingly that pain tended to plateau from ages 45 to 75. "Maybe people reach a point in their career where they move up the ladder into a desk job," Krueger says. "Or maybe they've just learned how to cope with the pain."