Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsBack PainHeadachesJoint PainNerve Pain

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Back Pain

Headaches

Joint Pain

Nerve Pain

Chronic pain is commonly defined as any pain that lasts more than 12 weeks. Whereas acute pain is the normal sensation which alerts us to an injury or illness, chronicpainis one that persists, often for months or even longer.

Paul Bradbury / Getty Images

Man sitting on bed with backache

Chronic Back Pain

According to research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, no less than 84% of adults in the U.S. will experience chronic back pain at some point in their life.

Common causes of chronic back pain include:

Back pain has become an epidemic in the United States, and it is a leading cause of disability and lost productivity in the workplace today.

Chronic Headaches

According to research, 50% of the adult population will report headaches during the course of a year, while more than 90% will report a lifetime history of headaches.

A chronic headache is one that occurs for at least 15 days per month for no less than three consecutive months. The most common types of chronic headaches are:

How to Deal With Chronic Headache Pain

Chronic Joint Pain

According to a report from the U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative, arthritis is the most common cause, affecting over 51 million Americans (or roughly one of every two adults).

Some of the more common types of chronic joint pain are:

Joint Pain Causes and Treatment Options

Chronic Nerve Pain

Chronic nerve (neuropathic) pain affects one of every 10 Americans, according to a study from the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. This commonly happens when the nerves are either compressed, damaged, or exposed to drugs that strip their protective exterior coating (called the myelin sheath).

Some of the more common examples of chronic neuropathic pain are:

The 8 Types of Fibromyalgia Pain

6 SourcesVerywell 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.Dahlhamer J, Lucas J, Zelaya, C, et al.Prevalence of chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain among adults—United States, 2016.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep2018;67:1001–1006. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6736a2Raffaeli W, Arnaudo E.Pain as a disease: an overview.J Pain Res. 2017;10:2003–2008. doi:10.2147/JPR.S138864Freburger JK, Holmes GM, Agans RP, et al.The rising prevalence of chronic low back pain.Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(3):251-258. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2008.543Jensen R, Stovner LJ.Epidemiology and comorbidity of headache.Lancet Neurol. 2008;7(4):354-361. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(08)70062-0U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative. (2012)The Impact of Musculoskeletal Disorders on Americans — Opportunities for Action (Third Edition).Rosemont, Illinois: U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative. ISBN 978-0-9963091-1-0.Yawn BP, Wollan PC, Weingarten TN, Watson JC, Hooten WM, Melton LJ 3rd.The prevalence of neuropathic pain: clinical evaluation compared with screening tools in a community population[published correction appears in Pain Med. 2011 Aug;12(8):1294].Pain Med. 2009;10(3):586-593. doi:10.1111/j.1526-4637.2009.00588.x

6 Sources

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.Dahlhamer J, Lucas J, Zelaya, C, et al.Prevalence of chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain among adults—United States, 2016.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep2018;67:1001–1006. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6736a2Raffaeli W, Arnaudo E.Pain as a disease: an overview.J Pain Res. 2017;10:2003–2008. doi:10.2147/JPR.S138864Freburger JK, Holmes GM, Agans RP, et al.The rising prevalence of chronic low back pain.Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(3):251-258. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2008.543Jensen R, Stovner LJ.Epidemiology and comorbidity of headache.Lancet Neurol. 2008;7(4):354-361. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(08)70062-0U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative. (2012)The Impact of Musculoskeletal Disorders on Americans — Opportunities for Action (Third Edition).Rosemont, Illinois: U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative. ISBN 978-0-9963091-1-0.Yawn BP, Wollan PC, Weingarten TN, Watson JC, Hooten WM, Melton LJ 3rd.The prevalence of neuropathic pain: clinical evaluation compared with screening tools in a community population[published correction appears in Pain Med. 2011 Aug;12(8):1294].Pain Med. 2009;10(3):586-593. doi:10.1111/j.1526-4637.2009.00588.x

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.

Dahlhamer J, Lucas J, Zelaya, C, et al.Prevalence of chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain among adults—United States, 2016.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep2018;67:1001–1006. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6736a2Raffaeli W, Arnaudo E.Pain as a disease: an overview.J Pain Res. 2017;10:2003–2008. doi:10.2147/JPR.S138864Freburger JK, Holmes GM, Agans RP, et al.The rising prevalence of chronic low back pain.Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(3):251-258. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2008.543Jensen R, Stovner LJ.Epidemiology and comorbidity of headache.Lancet Neurol. 2008;7(4):354-361. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(08)70062-0U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative. (2012)The Impact of Musculoskeletal Disorders on Americans — Opportunities for Action (Third Edition).Rosemont, Illinois: U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative. ISBN 978-0-9963091-1-0.Yawn BP, Wollan PC, Weingarten TN, Watson JC, Hooten WM, Melton LJ 3rd.The prevalence of neuropathic pain: clinical evaluation compared with screening tools in a community population[published correction appears in Pain Med. 2011 Aug;12(8):1294].Pain Med. 2009;10(3):586-593. doi:10.1111/j.1526-4637.2009.00588.x

Dahlhamer J, Lucas J, Zelaya, C, et al.Prevalence of chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain among adults—United States, 2016.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep2018;67:1001–1006. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6736a2

Raffaeli W, Arnaudo E.Pain as a disease: an overview.J Pain Res. 2017;10:2003–2008. doi:10.2147/JPR.S138864

Freburger JK, Holmes GM, Agans RP, et al.The rising prevalence of chronic low back pain.Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(3):251-258. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2008.543

Jensen R, Stovner LJ.Epidemiology and comorbidity of headache.Lancet Neurol. 2008;7(4):354-361. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(08)70062-0

U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative. (2012)The Impact of Musculoskeletal Disorders on Americans — Opportunities for Action (Third Edition).Rosemont, Illinois: U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative. ISBN 978-0-9963091-1-0.

Yawn BP, Wollan PC, Weingarten TN, Watson JC, Hooten WM, Melton LJ 3rd.The prevalence of neuropathic pain: clinical evaluation compared with screening tools in a community population[published correction appears in Pain Med. 2011 Aug;12(8):1294].Pain Med. 2009;10(3):586-593. doi:10.1111/j.1526-4637.2009.00588.x

Meet Our Medical Expert Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

What is your feedback?