National Pain Week Survey Results

As National Pain Week nears its end it is time to reflect on some of the facts that have come to light in this year’s National Pain Survey conducted by Chronic Pain Australia. According to the survey, people living with chronic pain rated GPs a 5/10 and chemists a 4/10 on how well they assist in the management of their chronic pain, a sharp decline from the 8/10 both categories received in 2019. Of remedial massage and myotherapy, participants of the 2020 survey found that ‘The massages I receive make me feel better and reduce my pain and give me better movement in my body’.

Chronic pain is an invisible illness and the survey found that those living with it often find themselves stigmatised or discriminated against for not having more apparent symptoms. With new regulations creating barriers to vital pain killers, the role of massage therapists and myotherapists in managing chronic pain has never been more vital.

The ABC interview ‘Living in Pain gets harder’ provides coverage on the results of the survey, as well as the relationships between GPs and patients suffering from chronic pain, and may be helpful to massage therapists when dealing with your own clients.