Economic Pain Contributing to Acute Physical Pain for Many Americans, New S...(ing from their work life to their abilit...),Health

Despite this, many sufferers of acute back pain or other minor muscle strains or sprains said they took treatment matters into their own hands: only four in ten (43 percent) reported seeing a healthcare professional for their pain. Among those, 90 percent tried some type of remedy before consulting a healthcare professional. The most common reason for not seeking medical attention was sufferers' belief that they could "tough it out," cited by 57 percent of respondents.

"It is clear from this survey that even the short-term pain caused by common strains and sprains can have a significant impact on quality of life," said Rowe. "Proper treatment is important to prevent chronic pain or other conditions from developing. When in doubt, people should seek out a healthcare professional for treatment."

The survey was conducted online between July 27 and 30, 2009, by Greenfield Online for the American Pain Foundation and was made possible by support from King Pharmaceuticals((R)), Inc. The margin of error for the total sample of 2,192 online Americans is +/-2%.

About the American Pain Foundation

Founded in 1997, the American Pain Foundation is an independent nonprofit 501(c) 3 organization serving people with pain through information, advocacy, and support. APF's mission is to improve the quality of life of people with pain by raising public awareness, providing practical information, promoting research, and advocating to remove barriers and increase access to effective pain management. To learn more about APF, visit www.painfoundation.org. To access APF's
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