1 in 5 Americans Has Chronic Pain. Here's How to Know If You're One of Them

Key TakeawaysChronic pain is more common in U.S. adults than diabetes, depression, and high blood pressure, according to a new study.Chronic pain is defined as pain that is felt on most days or every day of the past three monthsHigh-impact chronic pain is defined as pain that limits life or work activities on most days or every day during the past three months.A startling number of U.S. adults suffer fromchronic pain, according to a new study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The findings indicate that new cases of chronic pain occur more frequently than new cases of common conditions such as diabetes, depression, and high blood pressure.The results, from an analysis of survey data from the National Center for Health Statistics, showed that the prevalence of chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain (HICP) among the U.S. adult population is approximately 21% and 8% respectively. Almost two-thirds of those who experience chronic pain still suffer from it a year later.“Chronic pain can be quite debilitating,” saidRichard Nahin, PhD, lead study author and lead epidemiologist at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. “It can affect your socioeconomic status because you can’t work, it can affect your social status because you can’t go out and be with friends, and there are all these healthcare costs associated with chronic pain.”Chronic pain is defined as pain that’s felt on most days or every day in the past three months, while HICP is defined as pain that limits life or work activities on most days or every day during the past three months.The last national estimate in 2010 found that about $500 billion was spent on pain management in the U.S., according to Nahin, and this number is undoubtedly much higher now.Types of Chronic PainHow Can You Tell When It’s Chronic Pain?Typically, a physician will use a 1–10 scale—with 0 being no pain and 10 being unbearable pain—to determine the severity of a patient’s pain, Nahin said. That, combined with the length of time the patient has experienced said pain, can help to identify whether it can be considered chronic pain.What about the mild back pain you consistently feel from sitting at your computer every day?Tawny Kross, PT, DPT, a pain specialist and doctor of physical therapy at Kross Centered Care, said this could be considered chronic pain depending on what definition you’re using.You could consider your back pain as chronic pain if it’s lasted more than three months. However, physicians also evaluate a patient’s medical history and how stubborn the pain is to different treatments to determine if someone has chronic pain. X-rays and MRIs are also used to examine what physical contributors might play into the pain, and factors like bad posture and age actually correlate poorly with pain. Typically, there are deeper issues at play, she said.Top 5 Medications for Treating Chronic PainWhen a patient experiences chronic pain, it affects nearly every aspect of their life, Kross explained.“This includes things like poor sleep due to waking up constantly through the night and noticing pain, gut disorders like IBS, mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, and issues with movement,” she said. “Many people end up experiencing increased social isolation, poorer quality of life, avoiding activities that they used to find enjoyable, and they might find themselves taking more sick days from work.”A Deep Dive Into Fibromyalgia PainHow Is Chronic Pain Treated?“Chronic doesn’t mean forever,” Kross said. “There are certainly different ways to address that pain depending on what is driving it.”According to Kross, there are many ways to manage chronic pain and address its root cause, ranging from evaluating sleep and targeting stress to graded physical activity and dietary changes.Opioids, which are highly addictive and harmful, are no longer the way we should be treating chronic pain, Nahin added. Instead, we should be using non-pharmacological approaches as first lines of defense, whether that’s going to a physical therapist, seeing an acupuncturist, or practicing yoga, tai chi, or meditation.Physical Therapy for Chronic Pain“All these things are now advocated as initial ways that someone can manage their pain,” Nahin said.When it comes to addressing the overall issue of increasing chronic pain within society, Nahin and his fellow researchers are looking at predictors of what might cause chronic pain to turn into HICP, as well as what might lead to recovery from chronic pain. The goal, he said, is to identify pain as early as possible to prevent it from worsening over time.So far, their data show that the longer you have chronic pain, the more likely that you’ll develop high-impact, disabling chronic pain.“If someone has pain for a month, the physician or healthcare provider shouldn’t just ignore it,” Nahin said. “It’s critical that we manage it early before it develops into disabling chronic pain.”Key TakeawaysIf you’re experiencing pain on a consistent basis that is impacting your life in any way, it’s important to see your physician to determine ways to address the pain before it worsens.

Key TakeawaysChronic pain is more common in U.S. adults than diabetes, depression, and high blood pressure, according to a new study.Chronic pain is defined as pain that is felt on most days or every day of the past three monthsHigh-impact chronic pain is defined as pain that limits life or work activities on most days or every day during the past three months.

Key Takeaways

Chronic pain is more common in U.S. adults than diabetes, depression, and high blood pressure, according to a new study.Chronic pain is defined as pain that is felt on most days or every day of the past three monthsHigh-impact chronic pain is defined as pain that limits life or work activities on most days or every day during the past three months.

A startling number of U.S. adults suffer fromchronic pain, according to a new study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The findings indicate that new cases of chronic pain occur more frequently than new cases of common conditions such as diabetes, depression, and high blood pressure.

The results, from an analysis of survey data from the National Center for Health Statistics, showed that the prevalence of chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain (HICP) among the U.S. adult population is approximately 21% and 8% respectively. Almost two-thirds of those who experience chronic pain still suffer from it a year later.

“Chronic pain can be quite debilitating,” saidRichard Nahin, PhD, lead study author and lead epidemiologist at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. “It can affect your socioeconomic status because you can’t work, it can affect your social status because you can’t go out and be with friends, and there are all these healthcare costs associated with chronic pain.”

Chronic pain is defined as pain that’s felt on most days or every day in the past three months, while HICP is defined as pain that limits life or work activities on most days or every day during the past three months.

The last national estimate in 2010 found that about $500 billion was spent on pain management in the U.S., according to Nahin, and this number is undoubtedly much higher now.

Types of Chronic Pain

How Can You Tell When It’s Chronic Pain?

Typically, a physician will use a 1–10 scale—with 0 being no pain and 10 being unbearable pain—to determine the severity of a patient’s pain, Nahin said. That, combined with the length of time the patient has experienced said pain, can help to identify whether it can be considered chronic pain.

What about the mild back pain you consistently feel from sitting at your computer every day?Tawny Kross, PT, DPT, a pain specialist and doctor of physical therapy at Kross Centered Care, said this could be considered chronic pain depending on what definition you’re using.

You could consider your back pain as chronic pain if it’s lasted more than three months. However, physicians also evaluate a patient’s medical history and how stubborn the pain is to different treatments to determine if someone has chronic pain. X-rays and MRIs are also used to examine what physical contributors might play into the pain, and factors like bad posture and age actually correlate poorly with pain. Typically, there are deeper issues at play, she said.

Top 5 Medications for Treating Chronic Pain

When a patient experiences chronic pain, it affects nearly every aspect of their life, Kross explained.

“This includes things like poor sleep due to waking up constantly through the night and noticing pain, gut disorders like IBS, mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, and issues with movement,” she said. “Many people end up experiencing increased social isolation, poorer quality of life, avoiding activities that they used to find enjoyable, and they might find themselves taking more sick days from work.”

A Deep Dive Into Fibromyalgia Pain

How Is Chronic Pain Treated?

“Chronic doesn’t mean forever,” Kross said. “There are certainly different ways to address that pain depending on what is driving it.”

According to Kross, there are many ways to manage chronic pain and address its root cause, ranging from evaluating sleep and targeting stress to graded physical activity and dietary changes.

Opioids, which are highly addictive and harmful, are no longer the way we should be treating chronic pain, Nahin added. Instead, we should be using non-pharmacological approaches as first lines of defense, whether that’s going to a physical therapist, seeing an acupuncturist, or practicing yoga, tai chi, or meditation.

Physical Therapy for Chronic Pain

“All these things are now advocated as initial ways that someone can manage their pain,” Nahin said.

When it comes to addressing the overall issue of increasing chronic pain within society, Nahin and his fellow researchers are looking at predictors of what might cause chronic pain to turn into HICP, as well as what might lead to recovery from chronic pain. The goal, he said, is to identify pain as early as possible to prevent it from worsening over time.

So far, their data show that the longer you have chronic pain, the more likely that you’ll develop high-impact, disabling chronic pain.

“If someone has pain for a month, the physician or healthcare provider shouldn’t just ignore it,” Nahin said. “It’s critical that we manage it early before it develops into disabling chronic pain.”

Key TakeawaysIf you’re experiencing pain on a consistent basis that is impacting your life in any way, it’s important to see your physician to determine ways to address the pain before it worsens.

If you’re experiencing pain on a consistent basis that is impacting your life in any way, it’s important to see your physician to determine ways to address the pain before it worsens.

1 SourceVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Nahin RL, Feinberg T, Kapos FP, Terman GW.Estimated rates of incident and persistent chronic pain among us adults, 2019-2020.JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(5):e2313563-e2313563. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.13563

1 Source

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Nahin RL, Feinberg T, Kapos FP, Terman GW.Estimated rates of incident and persistent chronic pain among us adults, 2019-2020.JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(5):e2313563-e2313563. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.13563

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Nahin RL, Feinberg T, Kapos FP, Terman GW.Estimated rates of incident and persistent chronic pain among us adults, 2019-2020.JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(5):e2313563-e2313563. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.13563

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