Arthritis holds 10 million people in the grip of excruciating pain, that's one in six of us. This pain can be agonising and affects people of all ages.
At Arthritis Research UK, we believe everyone has a right to live a pain-free life. We understand what it is like to live with long term pain and we know that the pain of arthritis is often invisible. So this year we're highlighting the impact of pain and asking you to Become a Pain Killer either for yourself or a loved one to help win the battle against arthritis.
We've launched this year's National Arthritis Week with a survey looking at the nation's perception of pain. The answers have helped us finally settle an age-old gender debate as the general public ranked childbirth the most painful (51 per cent), with less than half (24 percent) giving a kick in the groin the same rating. Out of those questioned with arthritis, ninety two per cent of those surveyed with arthritis rated their condition as painful as childbirth.
Interestingly the events that people have rated as the most painful are often short-lived. Childbirth or a kick in the groin are agony for a relatively short amount of time, yet people with arthritis deal with the same level of pain on a daily basis. This pain can make day-to-day tasks, like brushing your teeth, making a cup of tea or getting a good night's sleep really difficult. However, with your support we can fund research to develop treatments which can help people with arthritis to live a pain free life, a right that we know everyone deserves.
Arthritis Research UK currently fund approximately 20 grants, with a combined value of around £6 million, for research focused on pain. This includes research into understanding the cause of pain and trying to find new therapies and drugs to treat it.
There are many ways you can support us this National Arthritis Week. We are conducting our annual National Arthritis Survey to help us better understand the disease and its effects on people's everyday lives. It's just one of the many initiatives behind the research into the cause and treatment of arthritis- aiming to kill the pain once and for all. You can also read and share our information on living with pain, or attend one of our many events across the country. However you chose to support us, together we'll be one step close to finding a cure.
Be a Pain Killer. We rely on you, our supporters, so please join us this year for National Arthritis Week. If you live with arthritis or know someone who does then join us today by completing the National Arthritis Survey online at: www.nationalarthrtisweek.org