Pain is the most common reason for seeking medical care. Because chronic (long-term) pain can be resistant to many medical treatments and can cause serious problems, people who suffer from chronic pain often turn to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for relief. This fact sheet provides basic information on chronic pain and "what the science says" about the effectiveness of CAM therapies that many people with chronic pain use. If you are considering a CAM therapy for chronic pain, this information can help you talk with your health care provider about it.
Millions of Americans suffer from pain that is chronic, severe, and not easily managed. Although the human costs of chronic pain are beyond measure, its annual economic cost—including health care expenses, lost income, and lost productivity—is estimated to be $100 billion.
Chronic pain is often defined as any pain lasting more than 12 weeks. Whereas acute pain is a normal sensation that alerts us to possible injury, chronic pain is very different. Chronic pain persists—often for months or even longer. (In a national survey, 26 percent of adults—an estimated 76.5 million Americans—reported experiencing pain that lasted more than 24 hours; of those reporting pain, 42 percent said it lasted more than a year.) Chronic pain may arise from an initial injury such as a back sprain, or there may be an ongoing cause such as a disease, or there may be no evident cause. Other health problems—such as fatigue, sleep disturbance, loss of appetite, mood changes, and mobility limitations—may be associated with chronic pain.
Common chronic pain conditions include low-back pain, headache, arthritis pain, pain from nerve damage (e.g., diabetic neuropathy), cancer pain, and other conditions, such as fibromyalgia and interstitial cystitis (painful bladder syndrome), in which pain is a prominent factor. People who suffer from chronic pain take various kinds of prescription and nonprescription medications; often, these do not provide adequate relief and have unwanted side-effects.
Source: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/pain/chronic.htm?nav=rss