Chronic pain and adherence
Chronic pain of non-malignant etiology is a significant problem. Chronic non-malignant pain is typically defined as pain that persists for 3 months or longer and that is non-life threatening [1, 2]. Among the most common chronic pain conditions are chronic back pain, migraine headaches, and tension headaches. Chronic pain is very common. In the United States, 17% of patients seen in primary care report chronic pain [3], and chronic pain accounts for almost 80% of all physician visits [4]. A review of 15 epidemiologic studies found that the prevalence of chronic pain ranges from 2 to 40% in the adult population, with a median point prevalence of 15% [5]. The personal and economic costs of chronic pain are substantial. A study of primary care patients found that 13% of headache patients and 18% of back pain patients were unable to maintain full-time work over a 3-year period due to pain [6]. Chronic pain is often accompanied by substantial decreases in physical functioning, disruption of social and family roles, and psychological distress [4]. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.
