Alarming Statistics on Chronic Pain

For some perspective on the problem of chronic pain and resulting dependence and addiction to pain medication we have to look at some interesting but alarming facts on chronic pain. It is estimated that over 80 million Americans suffer from chronic pain in one form or other. It's further estimated that collectively, Americans lose one billion work days per year due to pain conditions and a third of the pain is low-back related. Beyond the physical and emotional stress this puts on the affected patients, the financial burden of such conditions in the United States is enormous. It has been noted that low back pain alone costs at least 16 billion dollars per year.