Probability of Living with Chronic Pain

The CDC estimates that approximately 20.6% of US adults (51.6 million people) live with chronic pain, defined as pain on most days or every day during the past 3 months. About 6.9% of adults (17.1 million) have high-impact chronic pain that frequently limits life or work activities. Chronic pain is the leading cause of disability in the United States.

Chronic pain prevalence increases with age and is more common among women, people living in poverty, rural populations, and those with less education. The most common sites of chronic pain are the lower back, joints (particularly knees and hips), and head/face. Common conditions associated with chronic pain include arthritis, fibromyalgia, neuropathy, migraine, and back problems.

The treatment of chronic pain has shifted away from long-term opioid therapy (which carries addiction risks and has limited evidence for long-term efficacy) toward multimodal approaches. Evidence-based treatments include physical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy for pain, non-opioid medications (NSAIDs, gabapentinoids, SNRIs), interventional procedures, exercise therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and complementary therapies (acupuncture, massage). The economic burden of chronic pain exceeds $600 billion per year in healthcare costs and lost productivity.