SEPTEMBER: Each month is awareness for lots of things, and September is no different. It’s the national month of potatoes, coupons, chicken, honey, Italian cheese, spinal cord injury, baby safety, blood cancer, square dances and so much more.

It’s also National Pain Awareness Month. This is a devastating condition for which there is no test, no lab work that’s going to show it. It’s subjective, leading many medical professionals to dismiss it.

“You don’t look sick. Just suck it up. Get over it. Stop thinking about it. Try yoga. Did you try these supplements?”

Dealing with the stigma of chronic pain — and everyone being an “expert” on what worked for someone they know — can cause anxiety, anger, depression and even PTSD in pain sufferers. 

About 21 percent of the U.S. population lives with chronic pain. An estimated 17.1 million American adults live with high impact chronic pain, or pain that frequently limits life or work activities. Pain is the number one reason Americans access the health care system. Chronic pain is the leading cause of long-term disability in the U.S.

As explained by the UCI School of Medicine, “If you lose a leg, you will get a lot of sympathy and empathy. People can see that injury and understand the pain involved. But if you have complex regional pain syndrome, which can feel like you’ve lost a limb, people may not understand what you are going through because they can’t see a physical change.”

This month, the U.S. Pain Foundation is a good place to learn more about it, along with acpanow.com/pain-awareness.html and iasp-pain.org

A little understanding goes a long way.