Luigi Mangione, the alleged perpetrator in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, reportedly suffered from chronic back pain.
Posts on the content-sharing platform Reddit under the now-defunct username “Mister_Cactus” appeared to reference the 26-year-old’s extensive health problems. The user referred to “spondy,” which is commonly known as spondylolisthesis.
Spondylolisthesis is a condition caused by a vertebra slipping out of place and putting pressure on the bones below. While it commonly occurs in older adults due to a type of arthritis, a common disease that causes joint inflammation and stiffness, it can also be brought on by trauma, spinal destabilization, bone disease, or a birth defect.
The posts chronicled his years-long struggle with back pain, The Washington Post said, which had also been exacerbated by surfing in Hawaii. Josiah Ryan, a spokesperson for the Waikiki-based “co-living” space where Mangione lived in June 2022, told The Associated Press that its founder R.J. Martin had learned Mangione suffered from severe back pain since childhood that interfered with many aspects of his life. Citing Martin, The Honolulu Civil Beat said he had a pinched nerve.
An image posted to a social media account linked to Mangione included what appeared to be an X-ray of a metal rod and multiple screws inserted into someone’s lower spine. It remains unknown how much this could have influenced the crimes he is accused of committing.
Mangione was arrested and arraigned in Pennsylvania on Monday and was later charged with murder by New York prosecutors.
Chronic pain is an issue that affects more than a third, or nearly 35 percent, of American adults, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Defined as any pain persisting beyond 3 months, chronic pain originates from various sources. It is associated with decreased quality of life, increased anxiety and depression, unmet mental health needs, and misuse of opioids.
It is also one of the costliest health problems in the US, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, resulting in lost productivity, lost income, and increased medical expenses.
Treatment varies from person to person, as does its effectiveness. There’s no single “right” approach for pain management for all people, Cleveland Clinic notes.
Findings from the National Health Interview Survey said that more than 24 percent of adults had chronic pain last year. In addition, 8.5 percent of adults had felt chronic pain that frequently limited their life or work activities over the course of the past three months — also known as high-impact chronic pain.
That number is up by nearly 4 percent from 2019 when 20.4 percent of adults had chronic pain and 7.4 percent had high-impact chronic pain.
At the time of the survey, the percentage of adults who reported living with chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain over the past three months was higher for women.
There were also disparities in who was affected by chronic pain. Alaska Native and Native American non-Hispanic adults were significantly more likely to have chronic pain than Asian non-Hispanic and Hispanic adults.
Furthermore, the report’s authors said they found that both kinds of chronic pain increased with age, and for those in nonmetropolitan areas.
With reporting from The Associated Press