What is pain?

The brain, not the point of injury, registers the sensation of pain. When you feel pain, it is a reaction to signals that move through nerves that spread throughout your body. These signals travel from the pain source to the spinal cord to your brain, where you perceive them as pain. The fact that the brain registers pain is an important point. It means pain can be diminished by preventing pain signals from moving to the brain. If pain signals never reach the brain, you don't feel the pain.

How common is chronic pain?

Pain is a major public health problem. It is estimated that chronic pain affects 15% to 33% of the U.S. population,2 or as many as 70 million people.3 Chronic pain disables more people than cancer or heart disease and costs the American people more than both combined. Pain costs an estimated $70 billion a year in medical costs, lost working days, and workers' compensation.