Pain is a national healthcare crisis.  It is our nation’s hidden epidemic.

• More than 76 million Americans – an estimated 26% of our population – suffer from persistent pain lasting more than 24 hours each month.[i]
• Pain doesn’t discriminate. It affects people of all races and economic status at all stages of life—the young, the middle-aged, and the elderly.[i]

Undertreated pain has serious physiological, psychological, and social consequences.

• All persons experience pain at some time during their lives. It affects physical and mental functioning, and can profoundly affect quality of life.[ii]
• According to data released in 1998, the annual total cost of pain from all causes is estimated to be more than $100 billion.[ii]  However, more recent studies have indicated that costs associated with low back pain alone are an estimated $85.9 billion.[iii]  The total cost of arthritis – the nation’s leading cause of disability – is estimated at $128 billion.[iv] 

When pain is treated properly, many people can resume their lives.

• Untreated or undertreated pain typically results from a failure to apply existing knowledge about pain management, and not from the lack of effective treatment modalities.[v]
• People often mistakenly believe that pain is something they “just have to live with.” They are often made to feel that the pain is “just in their heads.”[vi] 

Unfortunately, many barriers prevent effective pain treatment.

• Most healthcare professionals have little or no training in pain management (and are unable to effectively respond to patients' reports of pain).[vi] 
• The public—including doctors and people with pain—carry concerns about
  addiction to pain medication.[vi] 
• Funding for pain research is woefully inadequate: Less than 1% of the NIH
  research budget is dedicated to pain.[vii]
• Overly restrictive regulatory policies impede pain relief.[vi]
• Efforts to prevent the diversion and abuse of pain medication must be bal­anced so they do not interfere with patient care.[v]
• Concerns about regulatory scrutiny may affect healthcare professionals' treatment choices.[v]

The Bottom Line:  People in pain have a right to timely, appropriate pain care.