Mike Foxworth’s second preliminary take on our survey:
A sample of 19 is still small, but interesting trends seem apparent.
There is plenty of pain apparent at our our PN Support group meetings AND in these responses. But these results still suggest that PN related MUSCLE WEAKNESS, with its associated movement limitations and physical danger, are of greater concern to the people who’ve taken this survey.
Likewise, the respondents seem to have participated more in muscle related treatments than “pain relief” treatments.
The sample is small. If the above summary of our results is true, why?
(1) So far, most of the respondents are members of our support group,
suggesting
a. they’re active enough to DO something and
b. their condition does not prevent them from doing it.
(2) Muscle weakness disables and kills, while pain makes life miserable but MAY be less dangerous
(3) Pain treatments:
a. Expensive, don’t work well & have side effects
b. Reek of “snake oil” since current treatments are so poor.
(4) Exercise: relatively cheap, feels good, might work & few side effects.
We must be careful not to generalize. The sample is small and not random. It
may be too “self-selected” to reflect the general population of PN patients.
Go here to see the details from the survey responses.
Mike Foxworth