5 Ways You Can Support Pain Awareness Month (and Beyond)
September is Pain Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and support those living with chronic pain — especially veterans and service members. Here are five ways you can get involved, with links to veteran-focused resources.
1. Share Awareness — Support Veterans’ Voices
- Why it matters: Veterans experience higher rates of chronic pain than the general population. Sharing their stories can help reduce stigma.
- What to do: Use the hashtag #PainAwarenessMonth and highlight VA or veteran-specific pain stories.
- Resource link: VA Pain Management Veteran Resource
2. Educate Yourself & Others
- Why: Understanding how pain affects military and veteran populations helps improve care and advocacy.
- What to do: Explore PMC’s own Pain & Pain Management page, which explains the science of pain and offers resources for patients, caregivers, and providers.
- Resource links: Pain & Pain Management — PMC
3. Connect with Peer Support
- Why: Peer connection helps reduce isolation and fosters coping strategies.
- What to do: Join a veteran-specific chronic pain support group.
- Resources: Vet-to-Vet for Chronic Pain (VA)
4. Advocate for Veteran Pain Care
- Why: Policy change and funding affect access to pain services within the VA system.
- What to do: Support advocacy efforts that promote better pain care for veterans.
- Resource link: U.S. Pain Foundation Veterans Advocacy Hub
5. Take Care of Yourself or a Fellow Veteran
- Why: Small steps in daily life—movement, mindfulness, healthy sleep—improve pain outcomes.
- What to do: Explore VA and other community programs that encourage self-care, such as mindfulness courses, adaptive yoga, and the MOVE! weight management program.
- Resource links:
Pain Awareness Month is about community, action, and hope. This September, join us in supporting our nation’s veterans and service members who live with pain. Together, we can raise awareness, reduce stigma, and promote healing.