For almost six million Canadians who experience some form of chronic pain, the results of a recent public opinion survey will be discouraging. A recent survey, completed by Decima Research (November 2005) for the Canadian Pain Coalition (CPC) involving more than 1,000 adults in all provinces, highlights the confusion and lack of awareness about pain and those it affects.

Twenty-one percent of respondents indicated they suffered from chronic pain while 46% indicated they knew someone with the disease. Only 47 per cent of Canadians surveyed fully believe that chronic pain is real.

"We have a long way to go in order to change the way the general public, even health care professionals, think about pain and how it affects the lives of Canadians," says Helen Tupper, President of the CPC who has experienced neuropathic and other forms of chronic pain for almost 30 years. "People with pain are constantly dealing with the stigma of their illness. They may miss work, spend more time in hospital and visit their doctors more frequently. It can take several years for some of us to get the right diagnosis and treatment."

Chronic pain is pain that continues a month or more beyond the usual recovery period for an injury or illness or that goes on for months or years due to a chronic condition. The pain may not be constant but it can interfere with daily life at all levels. Neuropathic pain or "nerve pain" is a disease caused by injury or dysfunction of the nerves in the body's pain sensing system. It is frequently described as a stabbing, burning, tingling or shock-like sensation. It is estimated that 500,000 Canadian chronic pain sufferers have neuropathic pain.

There is currently a shortage of specialized health care services for people with pain. In some cities, this can result in waits of up to five years for an appointment at a multi-disciplinary pain clinic. The vast majority of respondents to the Decima survey say pain is an important health issue in this country that should receive more funding for research, specialized pain centres and medications.

"People with pain often struggle to have their family, friends and co-workers believe their pain is real. Not only are they suffering because of the pain, they often face a lack of support to help them deal with it," says Celeste Johnston CPC board member and Professor at the McGill School of Nursing. This was confirmed in the survey results as 46 per cent of those surveyed did not fully believe pain was a real health issue for people they knew.

For pain patients living in Quebec the news was more concerning when compared to the national results. Only 37 per cent (compared to 47 per cent in the rest of Canada) said they fully believed a friend or co-worker when told about their pain.

Treating pain is another issue that leads to confusion and prevents patients from seeking out and following treatment regimes. Sixty-four per cent of respondents believe pain patients should continue to seek a medical opinion to resolve their pain however 38 per cent of Canadians believe they should seek non-narcotic alternatives to relieve pain, while another 8 per cent believe those with pain should avoid taking pain medications in case they become addicted.

"While the CPC has chosen this week to highlight the issues surrounding pain in Canada, it is around 52 weeks of the year," says Helen Tupper. "It is a non-stop job to educate people about pain. We hope that by raising awareness we will give a voice to the six million Canadians impacted by this illness and the people committed to helping them."