Osteoarthritis, lower back pain, abdominal pain… Millions of French people suffer from chronic pain on a daily basis. And this has been happening for several months, even several years, without any real support.
A day dedicated to pain, an invisible scourge
Every third Monday in October, World Pain Day highlights this scourge. This year, the Analgesia Foundation is unveiling its first national barometer on pain, to better highlight this suffering. And the results are striking.
- 42% of French adults, or 23.1 million people, have lived with persistent pain for more than three months;
- Nearly half of them have even suffered from it for more than three years.
What are the most reported chronic pains?
Not all chronic pain is caused by the same disease. The most commonly reported pains are musculoskeletal (36%), orofacial (33%), abdominal (15%) and neuropathic (12%).
And this is not getting better because according to the foundation, two thirds of sufferers report a worsening or stagnation of their symptoms.
“There are “only a third of patients suffering from chronic pain who are satisfied with their care, that still leaves millions of French people who are in great distress” underlines Dr Nicolas Authier, psychiatrist and president of the Analgesia Foundation.
Marc Lévêque: “Chronic pain, a real public health problem“
For neurosurgeon Marc Lévêque, pain specialist at Clairval hospital in Marseille, consulted by True Medicalthe situation goes beyond the medical framework. He reminds us that pain is multiple. “This number evokes pain as a whole, but it is multiple. It may be tolerable for some, unmanageable for others.
But according to him, pain is maintained in a vicious circle which he summarizes with the “4 S’s”:
- Loneliness: the more isolated a person is, he explains, the more pain takes up space;
- A sedentary lifestyle, which promotes chronic pathologies and is maintained by pain;
- Senescence, because aging amplifies the body’s vulnerability;
- The social: the precariousness and medicalization of social problems mean that pain is a gateway, believes the expert.
Furthermore, the main difficulty remains structural. The 273 pain centers in France “are overwhelmed”, says the neurosurgeon.
For what ? “Because pain management is solely the responsibility of the public sector, because there is no remuneration provided in the private sector.”
Result: only 3% of pain patients have access to a specialized public hospital. “It is a real public health problem, but difficult to manage and often invisible.”.
What are the solutions for pain management?
If drug treatments, particularly chemical analgesics, remain essential after an operation or in the context of cancer, they quickly reach their limits in the face of chronic pain, due to the psychological and biological factors involved.
However, other solutions exist.
- Among them, the spinal cord stimulationa recognized and effective technique. “Spinal cord stimulation is today the most used technique in the surgical treatment of intractable neuropathic pain and, in particular, that following spinal surgery.explains Dr. Lévêque. “It is in fact a blockage of the transmission of the pain message by the activation of non-painful sensitivity. This stimulation is produced by the electrode implanted in the patient’s back and covers the pain with sensations of paresthesia. This therapy therefore consists of masking the pain but does not eliminate the cause. However, this can effectively relieve patients and it is a technique covered by Health Insurance.”
- Another option: the TENS or transcutaneous electrical stimulation. This neuromodulation blurs the pain signal using small electrical impulses broadcast by a box via patches placed on the skin, providing relief to the patient.
- Without forgetting adapted physical activity prescription. “It is today recognized for its desirable effects, adds the expert, but difficult to access for many patients. believes Dr. Lévêque.
“These new figures call for an immediate action plan to guarantee equitable access to care and structure a more effective health pathway throughout the national territory.” pleads Dr Nicolas Authier for his part.
He now wants the fight against pain to be recognized as a great national cause, in order to break the silence which surrounds a scourge affecting nearly half of French people.