Why Patients Need Additional Treatment Options for Acute Pain

Imagine trying to power through your day, but every move is shadowed by intense pain. If you’ve ever gone through a surgery or had a serious injury, you may have experienced this feeling, also known as acute pain. For the millions who experience it every year, acute pain is an unwelcome part of daily life as they recover. 

Acute pain, defined as pain that lasts less than three months, usually comes on suddenly and can impact everyday routines. While approximately 80 million adults in the U.S. are prescribed medication each year to help manage acute pain, the effectiveness of current treatment options leaves some unsatisfied. 

To better understand the current acute pain management landscape, Vertex Pharmaceuticals surveyed 501 adult women and 500 adult men and people of other genders in the U.S. who were treated and prescribed medication for moderate-to-severe acute pain in the last year. Overwhelmingly, patients surveyed reported that acute pain disrupted their daily life — with a higher proportion of women reporting certain disruptions than the overall group. The results also revealed real concerns patients have about their treatment options. 

How Acute Pain Becomes a Daily Disruption

Even though it’s temporary, acute pain can throw life off balance. Many women reported that it made routine daily tasks such as exercising, participating in hobbies or sleeping feel difficult. 

More Disturbing Truths About Acute Pain

On top of the daily life disruptions reported, a higher proportion of surveyed women (59%) compared to surveyed men and people of other genders (41%) reported they don’t even visit the doctor until pain becomes unbearable — meaning, more women may be suffering with their pain for a longer period of time.

For women, the effects of acute pain hit harder

Why Additional Pain Management Solutions Are Needed

Acute pain can affect quality of life in a number of ways — and though there are effective treatments out there, the options are complicated. Opioids, for example, are a common treatment for severe acute pain, but their potential to become addictive makes patients wary. In fact, half of the patients in the survey reported they were concerned about the risk of addiction, and over half of all women surveyed wished there were more medication options to treat their acute pain.

theSkimm

For many, acute pain can make everyday life feel like an uphill battle. With some treatment options for moderate-to-severe acute pain carrying serious risks, the demand grows for alternative pain management options. And if you ask us, patients deserve more options when it comes to managing their pain. Learn more about the State of Pain survey here.