Active Pain Is No Gain (NAPSA)—Think pain is a badge? A recent national consumer poll confirms what sports medicine and pain management specialists have long suspected: the majority of Americans are suffering needlessly from muscle aches and body pains that can be easily treated. According to the survey, more than 84 percent of American adults experienced muscle aches and body pain during the previous month, and most did little or nothing to treat these problems. In response, experts are challenging the public to learn about “active pain’—muscle aches and body pain that, when not treated, can significantly reduce your ability to remain active andfit. Active pain is a common byproduct of many athletic and lifestyle activities—from running and high-impact aerobics to physical exertion around the home and workplace. Many Americans are still living with the “no pain, no gain” philosophy—and the consequencesof active pain: * 63 percent of Americans feel sore throughout the day. * 41 percent can’t exercise or play a particular sport due to pain. * 36 percent are unable to participate in a recreational activity. * A quarter even have difficulty performing routine tasks, such as walking or climbing stairs. * 10 percent say active pain is so bad it has caused them to take timeoff from work. “At a time when health professionals are urging Americansto be more physically fit, we need to eliminate barriers that are keeping many adults from incorporating moreactivity into their daily lives, including being in pain,” said Barbara J. Moore, Ph.D., president of Shape Up America! = a i You can find information on pain and muscle aches at a new Web site, ActivePain.com. Moore and other leading experts in physical fitness, sports medicine and pain management have formed the Active Pain Council, an information resource focusing on preventing and treating active pain. Oneof the Council’s first initiatives is a virtual clinic, Active Pain.com. Featuring the latest scientific information, the site enables consumers to conduct individualized searches about activity-related muscle aches and body pain, and offers tips on how to recognize and treat such pain. The site is supported by the makers of Tylenol 8 Hour, a new product for extended relief of muscle aches, strains, sprains and other body pains associated with active pain. It uses a patented extended release technology to provide up to eight hours of continuous pain relief in just one dose. For more information or the latest information on muscle aches and body pain, go to www.ActivePain.com.
