While the healthcare industry is re-evaluating ways to assess and manage pain, the problem still persists for millions of Americans, according to American Academy of Pain Medicine.
Here are six statistics on chronic pain in the United States:
1. Throughout the United States, 76.2 million people suffer from pain.
2. Chronic pain costs the United States $100 billion annually due to healthcare expenses, lost productivity and lost income.
3. Between 50 percent and 75 percent of hospitalized patients die in moderate to severe pain.
4. Low back pain was the most commonly reported type of pain (27 percent), following by severe headache or migraine pain (15 percent), neck pain (15 percent) and facial ache or pain (4 percent).
5. Twenty-eight percent of adults suffering from low back pain reported limited activity due to a chronic condition, as opposed to 10 percent of adults without low back pain.
6. Seventy percent of Americans reported the medical community should prioritize pain research and management.
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