The chronic pain It is a debilitating condition Many people in Italy are affected. These are back pain, headaches, persistent muscle or bone pain, but also fibromyalgia, vulvodynia, neuropathic pain that affects other parts of the body. So with back pain you start walking badly, with cervical pain you have dizziness. Chronic pain can be triggered by a variety of conditionsB. physical injuries or neurological disorders, but over time the connection to the original pathology is lost and becomes a disease itself.

Despite The problem cares beyond that 28% of Italiansas noted by an investigation on the territoryis often an issue neglectedwhich remains hidden as public attention appears to be focused on more immediate and visible health issues.

Difference between chronic and acute pain

It differs from acute pain, which has a limited duration and is generally due to a specific illness or injury persists for more than 3-6 months or recurs. Victims describe it as constant weight it affects them physically, psychologically and emotionally. This condition can limit the ability to perform everyday activities, interfere with sleep, and cause stress, anxiety, and depression.

The awareness campaign

Sandoz launched the campaign with the aim of providing the right, simple and direct way of informing citizens what chronic pain is, why it is important not to underestimate it and what can be done to overcome it “And do you know how it feels? You can overcome the pain. Protagonist of the initiative a ironic video played by the couple cartoons Corrado Nuzzo and Maria Di Biase (You can see it here And on the artists’ social profiles) and in the fall comes to Italian cinemas.

Choosing two comedians to convey a very serious, wholesome content is a successful and increasingly common strategy because, as Nuzzo and Di Biase themselves said: “LComedy is a simple but powerful way to spread important messages. And especially without trivializing real life situations. A joke sticks in your head, it leaves a mark immediately, but it sticks and can also provoke deeper thought at a later point in time. With our video we hope to help spread the right not to suffer and heal chronic pain.

To the video The information available on the website will also be added health decisions and informational materials to be distributed in pharmacies from September. The campaign took place approxunder the auspices of the Italian Society for Pain Research (Aisd), FederDolore-SICD, the Isal Foundation, the Onda Foundation and the Italian Society of General Medicine (Simg).

Chronic pain: Delay in diagnosis

Why is there a need to launch such an initiative? Because they exist, according to a survey conducted by Elma Research and sponsored by the Onda Foundation, the National Observatory on Women’s Health and Gender Do you need any more information. This is shown by the analysis of the responses from the sample (600 men and women between the ages of 18 and 70). 34% have direct experience of chronic pain, but only 23% have received a specific diagnosis. Despite this, around 60% of those who suffer from it define it as severe pain, with scores above 7 on the pain rating scale, that can interfere with daily living and psycho-physical well-being.

“It’s striking how late this disabling condition is recognized,” he comments Nicoletta Orthman, medical-scientific coordinator of the Onda Foundation. «The patient waits about two years before turning to a reference figure, who is often the family doctor. And then they spend on average three years from the onset of symptoms to the actual diagnosis». In addition to the family doctor, people often go to the pharmacist (33% of cases), who mainly gives advice Take medication and see a doctor less often.

Chronic pain: the implications of a diagnostic delay