Introduction
Pain is one of the most common reasons Americans consult a physician. There are two types of pain: acute and chronic. Acute pain is caused by a specific condition like a broken bone or childbirth, and typically goes away once the underlying cause ends or is fixed. Chronic pain is ongoing pain that usually lasts longer than six months. It can stem from an injury, infection, or disease such as arthritis or cancer. Sometimes chronic pain has no known cause. Environmental and psychological factors can often make chronic pain worse.
According to a 2018 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 50 million U.S. adults have chronic pain. Approximately 19.6 million American adults have high-impact chronic pain that limits at least one major life activity. One-third of people with high-impact chronic pain have difficulty with self-care activities like getting dressed.
Chronic pain is more prevalent and of greater intensity in the Veteran population than in the general population. It is often accompanied by co-existing mental health conditions. Unrelieved and persistent chronic pain can contribute to depression, anxiety, poor sleep patterns, decreased quality of life, and substance use disorder. It is also a risk factor for suicide. The consequences of chronic pain include lost work productivity, disability, and increased health care costs.
Joint and back pain and other musculoskeletal ailments are the most common diagnoses among Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans. In a 2017 report by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 65.6% of American Veterans reported having pain in the three months before they were surveyed, with 9.1% classified as having severe pain. Severe pain was 40% greater in Veterans than non-Veterans, especially among those who served in recent conflicts.
VA’s National Pain Management Strategy provides a system-wide standard of care to reduce suffering from preventable pain. As part of that strategy, the department’s pain research portfolio covers a wide range of topics, from drug discovery, to complementary and integrative treatments, to the impact of pain on daily function and quality of life. The national program guides the direction of VA pain research, which in turn helps inform patient care.
Complementary and integrative health has been shown to be an effective alternative or addition to pain medication for many patients. A wide range of CIH therapies, such as acupuncture and yoga, are proving valuable in helping Veterans manage their pain.