What's New on WHR (Aug 2009)

The Costs of Pain

by Daniel J. Benor, MD, ABIHM

Pain is a burden not only to those who suffer it, but also to family members, co-workers and employers. Self-treatment for pain is effective, immediately available when needed, and very cost-effective.

A person who is laid up with serious backaches, neck pain, irritable bowel syndrome, migraines, premenstrual and other pains often requires assistance from family members. Thus, the strains of dealing with pain extend beyond the pain sufferers themselves.

Case Example: George was a 35 year old divorced machine tool worker who slipped and injured his back on the job. His back pain persisted for six weeks before he was able to return to work. In the first two weeks, he was unable to have his two young children stay with him on the weekends and for either the Thursday or the Monday night. This left his wife, a nurse, with extra childcare costs that put a severe strain on her limited budget, as she worked several extra shifts on weekends and evenings in order to make ends meet.

Absenteeism in the workplace due to pain costs billions of dollars annually. In the US alone, "Costs associated with back pain are estimated to range between $50 billion and $100 billion each year. Medical care accounts for about one-third of costs, while the remainder includes lost wages, disability payments, and retraining costs. Only five percent of people with back pain become permanently or temporarily disabled, but these people account for 75 percent of back pain costs (Frymoyer and Cats-Baril, 1991)." Similar high costs have been tallied in Canada, England, Ireland and other countries.
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