PAIN RELIEF FOUNDATION
RELIEVING CHRONIC PAIN THROUGH RESEARCH
CHRONIC PAIN - THE SILENT EPIDEMIC •
1 in 10 people in the UK suffer from chronic pain – which does not go away.
•
Over half of sufferers endure chronic pain all day, every day of their lives.
•
Many sufferers say they can’t remember what it is like not to be in pain.
•
Thousands of sufferers lose their jobs because the pain is so bad that they cannot work.
•
Pain stops sufferers enjoying walking, shopping, sleeping; even playing with their children
Chronic Pain affects people of all walks of life, 43% of the population suffer from chronic pain. Research costs money, and there is always an urgent need to provide more funds for more research. The Pain Relief Foundation DOES NOT receive funding from the NHS or any other Government body. Instead, our vital work depends entirely on donations and the generosity of people like you.
PLEASE MAKE A DONATION TODAY Online at www.painrelieffoundation.org.uk OR LEAVE A LEGACY IN YOUR WILL. For help and advice, contact us. Pain Relief Foundation , Clinical Sciences Centre University Hospital Aintree ,Liverpool L9 7AL. Telephone: 0151 529 5820 E-mail: lorraine.roberts@painrelieffoundation.org.uk
www.painrelieffoundation.org.uk Registered Charity No. 1156227
Chronic Pain the Silent Epidemic Most people do not think of pain until it affects them personally, or those close to them; yet an astonishing 43% of the population experience chronic pain. Millions of adults are currently living with on-going discomfort including nearly one in three people of working age. Around 1 in 10 people suffer from such extreme levels of pain it is that is either moderately or severely disabling. Their pain becomes so consuming they are able to think of almost nothing else. In an ageing population these figures are set to rise. The terrible scourge of chronic pain remains one of the last unconquered frontiers of medicine. Chronic Pain is defined as lasting for three months or longer, and can include conditions such as arthritis, cancer pain, neuralgia, shingles, diabetic neuropathy, painful strokes, pain following limb amputation (phantom limb), Complex regional syndrome (CRPS), back pain and headaches Chronic pain is the silent epidemic because it isn’t as visible or as measurable as other conditions, despite the fact that it can have a devastating impact on quality of life. Chronic pain is costly at an individual and societal level; we need to challenge these conceptions. It is only through the research and educational work carried out in our Pain Research Institute that progress can be made in improving knowledge of chronic pain and its relief, and in training the specialists who will carry it out. But that depends entirely on YOUR support and the support of the public.
