The Prevalence of Pain and Different Pain Treatments in Adults

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OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine prevalence of pain (p) in adults and their preference for pain treatment, by using questionnaire. METHODS: First 7 questions of "Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form" and "Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire" were applied to 250 participants in face to face interview. A hundred eighty of the individuals were women (38.3±14.0 years old) and 70 were men (36.6±13.2 years old). Data analysis were performed using SPSS, version 10. RESULTS: Eighteen individuals (7.2%) had no pain and 232 (92.8%) of them had pain in different parts of the body. A hundred fourty five individuals had lowback p, 116 neck p, 101 dorsal p, 152 shoulder p, 69 upperarm p, 66 forearm p, 75 wrist p, 59 hip p, 69 upper leg p, 98 knee p, 81 crus pain. Their mean pain score was 3.6±1.8, mean pain score at its worst in the last 24 hours was 4.4±2.6. Thirty three percent of individuals had used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and/or analgesic drugs to relieve pain, 22.7% had physical therapy, 4.1% had other pain-relief methods, 1.2% had surgery, and 38% had nothing. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that 92.8% adults had pain. Although shoulder has highest pain prevalance, severe pain was mostly described in lowback area. Knee pain was largely interfered work ability. An important percent of persons experiencing pain has recieved no treatment and first preference for treatment was drug. Inspite of high pain prevalence in our study, slightly uncomfortable pain severity and no need for treatment can be explain a result of individual differences in pain perception.