Chronic Pain Needs a Coordinated Approach

Injury, including sports injury, is the main culprit when it comes to chronic pain - and new research also highlights concerns about high levels of disability and high reliance on over-the-counter analgesics among people with chronic pain.

The study, published in the current issue of the Medical Journal of Australia, was carried out

by researchers at the University of Sydney Pain Management Research Institute and the Department of Rheumatology at the Royal North Shore Hospital. Over 2,000 randomly selected people in northern Sydney were surveyed.

The study found that chronic pain is common. More than one in five people surveyed were affected by chronic pain, and more than a quarter of those had high levels of pain-related disability. Almost two in five put down the cause of their pain as injury - and, of those, the most common cause was sports related, with men particularly affected.

Senior research officer, Dr Fiona Blyth, is concerned that, while injury is recognised as a state and national health priority, its importance as a cause of chronic pain has not previously been identified.

"This is important as injuries, especially sports injuries, affect younger people and are amenable to prevention", Dr Blyth said.

The researchers also found that more than three-quarters of the people with chronic pain had consulted at least one health practitioner about their pain in the last 6 months. Sixty per cent had consulted a doctor, 50 per cent an allied health professional (most commonly a physiotherapist), and 21 per cent an alternative practitioner (most commonly a masseur).

In addition, almost three-quarters of the people with chronic pain had used oral analgesics for their pain in the previous 6 months, often over-the-counter preparations, while 10 per cent had used injected medications.

Dr Blyth said that there is a need for timely interventions to prevent progression from acute to chronic pain. The strong relationship between levels of pain-related disability and the use of health services and over-the-counter analgesics also points to an urgent need for a coordinated approach to managing and minimising this problem.

"General practitioners, in particular, need to be involved, as do patients and, where appropriate, specialised multi-disciplinary teams in pain clinic settings", Dr Blyth said.

The survey defined chronic pain as that experienced every day for three months in the six months before interview.

The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.

CONTACT:
Dr Fiona Blyth, 0409 609 245, Professor Michael Cousins, 0403 180 580
Associate Professor Lyn March, 0411 864 062
Judith Tokley, AMA, 0408 824 306