When was the last time you moved pain-free? Pain-free mobility is a luxury many of us enjoy. However, 50% of wheelchair users report chronic pain as a result of daily wheelchair use. Though painkillers have come a long way, they don’t yet provide complete relief without risking dangerous addictions. That’s where adaptive diving can help. Scuba diving can be a powerful tool for combating pain. Read on to learn how diving helps veterans alleviate chronic pain.
Mobility and Chronic Pain
In the U.S., there are an estimated 3.3 million wheelchair users. Recent research indicates that 50% of wheelchair users suffer from chronic pain caused by the repeated use of their mobility devices. However, this statistic does not account for the lingering pain caused by trauma-based injuries such as spinal cord injuries.
In fact, wheelchair users who are veterans are more likely to have suffered a spinal cord injury. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, anywhere between 249,000 and 363,000 Americans are affected by spinal cord injuries. On average, veterans account for 15% of all spinal cord injuries in the United States. Furthermore, a 2021 study showed that 80% of people with a spinal cord injury suffer significant chronic pain. These statistics say a lot, but they make one thing agonizingly clear. An enormous segment of our veterans are living lives impacted by chronic pain with very few options for relief.
What Help There Is
Historically, veterans are no strangers to chronic pain. Indeed, persistent pain was such a problem during the Civil War that hardcore painkillers like morphine were prescribed so frequently that addiction itself became known as “Soldier’s Disease.” Indeed, the traumatic events that lead to a visible injury often cause an invisible one—PTSD. The symptoms of this phantom killer have been shown to put suffering veterans at a higher risk of substance abuse. In fact, one 2013 study showed that opioid abuse is as much as seven times higher in the U.S. Veterans Health Administration than in civilian health programs. When we note that painkillers are the most abused prescription drug in America, it becomes clear that pharmaceuticals do not yet offer a long-term solution for chronic pain.
Diving and a Pain-Free Day
Scuba diving offers addiction-free relief from much of the pain endured by wheelchair users. This comes from the weightless nature of scuba diving. While underwater, divers experience a state of neutral buoyancy. This is the point where the diver is neither floating upward nor sinking. Instead, the diver hangs weightless in the water column. This weightlessness removes the pressures of gravity.
This eliminates much of the pain that wheelchair users experience due to the constant pressure on their back and joints. One of our participants, Scott V, an Army veteran and a wheelchair user, said the following of his experience. “I didn’t have the pain when I was in the water. I mean, the pain was relatively eliminated. It was just an equal pressure from all sides and not forced down on the small of my back into my chair.”
Importantly, divers don’t have to trek down to the Caribbean to find this benefit. They experience the same weightlessness and the same relief in any body of water in which they can submerge. That includes everywhere, from the local lake to the neighborhood swimming pool.
The Skills of Chronic Pain Relief
Scuba diving isn’t a permanent solution for chronic pain. The relief it provides is limited to the dive and a period afterward of variable length. Yet, scuba diving does offer tangible, instant relief without the risk of dangerous addiction. Patriots for Disabled Divers is dedicated to bringing that relief to everyone who needs it. Our training programs offer participants the skills they require to find pain relief in scuba diving anywhere in the world. And with over 1,000 divers already trained, we are only getting started. Help us alleviate chronic pain by donating online or setting up your own fundraiser to support PFDD’s adaptive diving programs. With your help, we can change the lives of millions. Donate online or contact us at jeff@patriotsfordisableddivers.org.