Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Veterans with chronic pain

What is it about?

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for more than 3 months. It can have serious physical, psychological, familial, and social effects. It is more common in military Veterans. This study looks at how the COVID-19 affected Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Veterans. They conducted a survey of (CAF) Veterans with chronic pain. They also surveyed non-Veterans with chronic pain. They found that two thirds of surveyed CAF Veterans had worse chronic pain since the pandemic started. Nearly half of them had moderate to severe psychological stress. These findings were similar in non-Veterans.

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Photo by Usman Yousaf on Unsplash

Photo by Usman Yousaf on Unsplash

Why is it important?

These results show that people with chronic pain experienced a decrease in quality of life during the pandemic. The study also found that many Veterans and non-Veterans changed their pain treatments because of the pandemic. This is important information for researchers, health care workers, and policy makers. There will be more waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. There might even be more pandemics in the future. This information will help make plans to support people with chronic pain through them. This support must be medical, physical, and/or psychological. It also needs to include web-based or self-management strategies. This will be helpful during lockdowns and stay at home orders. KEY TAKEAWAY: The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously affected Veterans and non-Veterans with chronic pain. We need to make plans to support people with chronic pain during the pandemic. These should include medical, physical and psychological support. They should also include web-based and self-management strategies for chronic pain.