Almost 10 million Britons suffer from pain most days resulting in a major impact on their quality of life and more days off work[1]
Nurofen celebrates the launch of the UK’s only 24 hour clinically-proven pain relief ibuprofen patch, by constructing an interactive Body Garden in London’s Kings Cross Station in just 24 hours. Nurofen’s Know More Pain campaign is encouraging people to understand more about everyday pain: how to manage it effectively; and how keeping active, be it in the garden or elsewhere, is key. If you know more about pain it can help you embrace life with one less barrier.
The pain barrier can hinder people from embracing activities they love like gardening and cause them to miss out on the proven health and wellbeing benefits. Take a look at this short time-lapse video to see what CAN be achieved when pain isn’t holding them back.
The 24 volunteers, who have previously experienced body pain, helped to build the garden alongside experts, and are testament to what can be achieved when you are relieved from body pain. However, new survey findings from Know More Pain found that body pain is sometimes ignored and goes unaddressed.[2]
Body pain is one of the most commonly experienced pains, affecting approximately 77% of people in the UK over a given month, versus 61% who suffer from headache (according to a 2017 survey).[3]However, it is often disregarded with only 20% of people in the UK saying they would treat body pain right away compared to half who treat a headache immediately. Furthermore, many body pain sufferers experience uncertainty about how to treat it. Only 20% of people claim to be confident when it comes to pain self-care.
The survey also revealed that 58% of Brits said they are less active in the winter months and often feel less happy as the days become shorter and colder. 42% of people said that when they are more physically active, they tend to have less aches and pains, and 54% said that when they suffer pain being active and doing activities such as gardening, is something they miss the most.
Body pain has a big impact on society. Musculoskeletal problems (including back pain, neck and upper limb problems) accounts for around 30 million working days lost due to sickness each year.[4]Physical activity such as gardening is important to help maintain strength and flexibility in our joints and muscles, says Noel Wicks, Pharmacist. “Body pain can have a range of effects including poor mood, impact on family members, sex life, productivity at work and physical activity. I would encourage people to learn more about body pain and take steps to address it, so they can go on enjoying their life. The pharmacy is a great source of advice and support on body pain.”
Gardening expert David Domoney comments on the wellbeing benefits of gardening: “Gardening is a great way to lift your mood, and being engaged in the natural world is good for us. In the winter people often shy away from the garden, but it’s an easy way to keep active and provides a breadth of mental and physical benefits, while keeping your garden ship shape all year round. As it is physically demanding, there are simple steps people can take to get the most out of their gardening experience. My advice is to take regular breaks, stretch before and after, change positions frequently, don’t overdo it.”
The Know More Pain Body Garden was constructed in 24 hours by 24 people who had previously experienced body pain, working alongside expert garden designers. It offers visitors the chance to learn more about the impact of body pain, how it can be managed and what it feels like to experience body pain. It will also bring rural idyll to a city location creating an environment that will encourage people to engage with the educational aspects and also interact with the beauty of the garden – who will be able to resist taking a selfie of the colourful garden in its unusual location?
The ’round the clock’ topical pain relief provided by Nurofen’s new medicated patch targets joint and muscle pain. It works by delivering ibuprofen directly to the site of pain over 24 hours, to provide relief in a convenient and easy to wear design.[5]
Nurofen is a proud supporter of Pain UK, who support people living with pain in the UK.
Antony Chuter, Chair of Pain UK, comments: “We are pleased to be associated with Nurofen and support their Know More Pain campaign which endeavours to educate people about pain and effective self-care. Improving people’s wellbeing and helping people make the most of life is worth supporting.”
References:
1. The British Pain Society. Media Resources. Available from: https://www.britishpainsociety.org/media-resources/
[https://www.britishpainsociety.org/media-resources] (Accessed: October 2018).
2. OnePoll Know More Pain Survey. A pain management survey of 2,000 people across the UK aged over 18 years. Survey carried out October 2018. Data on file. Survey supported by Nurofen.
3. Winkle survey data (n=2,161 from UK) 2018.
4. Office for National Statistics. Total of 137 million working days lost to sickness and injury in 2016. Available at https://www.ons.gov.uk/news/news/totalof137millionworkingdayslosttosicknessandinjuryin2016 (Accessed September 2018).
5. RB 2018. Nurofen SmPC. Available from: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/9321/smpc. Last accessed: August 2018.
