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Writer's pictureAaron Wyant

Chronic Pain & Disease in America

Updated: Dec 18, 2023

Take back control of your physical health and wellness! Remember, you can't take care of others until you've taken care of yourself first. To see my simple solution to the chronic pain and chronic disease epidemics we are living through check out the other blogs on my page and the READY Method.


We are at a historic moment in which quality of life and average lifespan have both shifted to lower conditions than previous generations before us. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 79% of Americans 18 years and older do not get enough exercise. Musculoskeletal injury is the second leading cause of disability worldwide, afflicting more than 1.7 billion people. The pain and discomfort stemming from musculoskeletal issues carry the largest economic burden on all healthcare, with low back and neck pain being the highest expenditures in the US at over $134 billion of the $380 billion spent on such conditions in 2016. Injury and associated pain management treatments cost more annually than heart and respiratory disease, diabetes, or cancer and were nearly 30% higher than the cost of cancer and diabetes combined.

In 2015 chronic diseases associated with poor health habits and lifestyle behaviors like the ones mentioned above were responsible for seven of ten deaths in America. These same conditions held six of the top seven leading spots for causes of death that same year and are responsible for more than 80% of all premature noncommunicable disease deaths annually. The four leading risk factors for global mortality are: high blood pressure (accounting for 13% of global mortality rates), tobacco use (9%), high blood glucose (6%), and physical inactivity (6%). Prolonged illness and disability from chronic disease adversely affects millions of lives every year, especially including caretakers and family members, but has dramatic influence on our communities and societies in general. Many studies have demonstrated connections between these diseased states of health and inaccessibility to healthy resources due to lower socioeconomic status, though their rates are spreading throughout all social classes without discrimination.



Practicing Exercise as Medicine

So much of this cost on healthcare and drain on our society can be mitigated by simple, well-rounded exercise regimes aimed at decreasing risk of injury and illness. Movement is not expensive, and exercise does not have to be a chore! By addressing major health concerns with physical activity, we can restore and continue to build our quality of life while making a significant impact economically across all social classes. An innovative solution is required to fill the gap that lies between clinical and general exercise-based services- one that affords access to the right guidance and information, especially to our underserved, underrepresented communities.


Stay updated and find more expert exercise guidance by SUBSCRIBING to my YouTube Channel at: http://www.youtube.com/@AaronWyantMS. You can also find other exercise routines and active learning courses at: www.AaronWyant.com/onlineprograms.



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