Christopher Stricklen A new study from the National Institutes of Health reports that more than 51 million Americans suffer from chronic pain every year, and new cases of the condition outnumber other common health problems.
In addition to seeing a doctor to figure out the best physical remedies for pain, connecting with your cycling community even when injured may be key to reducing the risk of chronic pain.
According to a recent study published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), more than 20 percent of Americans suffer from chronic pain and another 8 percent suffer from high-impact chronic pain (HICP). New incidents of the chronic pain also occur at a rate of 52.4 cases per 1,000 persons per year, which is higher than other common health problems, including diabetes , depression , and hypertension .
Researchers define chronic pain as pain experienced on “most days or every day over three months,” and HICP means people experience pain that limits their life or work activities on most days or every day during the past three months.
While chronic pain is clearly common, experts still have work to do to figure out exactly what causes the lasting discomfort. Video player poster image “Pain is a construct of the brain,” Anthony Carey , C.S.C.S., founder of Function First, a San Diego-based exercise studio whose trainers design exercise programs to address chronic pain tells Bicycling . (He was not involved in the study.) “We haven’t figured out the underlying and contributing causes to each […]
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