The majority of Americans—58.9 percent of adults—live with pain. Back pain is the most common type of pain, affecting nearly 2 in 5 adults in the United States in the past three months, according to findings. A report issued by the National Center for Health Statistics.
This survey says: “This survey gives numbers for something we’ve seen in the population for a long time.” Whitney Locke, MDa specialist in pain medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus.
There are many things that contribute to chronic pain. “Primary or acute injury to a part of the body can be the cause,” says Dr. Luke. She says that lifestyle factors, such as lack of physical activity, lack of sleep, stress, smoking, and uncontrolled depression or anxiety are also linked to experiencing higher levels of pain.
The data used in the report came from the redesigned 2019 National Health Interview Survey, which is administered throughout the year by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The answers were collected through a questionnaire completed by a randomly selected adult from a total of 31,997 households.
Back pain is more common in older adults, women, white Americans, and those with lower family incomes
A total of 39 percent of people experienced back pain in the past three months, a condition that was more common in older age groups; Back pain is reported by about 44 percent of adults ages 45 to 64 and 45 percent of people 65 and older. Women were more likely to have back pain than men – 40.6 percent compared to 37.2 percent.
White Americans were more likely to report back pain (42.7 percent) than Black Americans (35.8 percent), Hispanics (31.2 percent), and Asian Americans (24.5 percent).
Higher household income reduced the likelihood of people reporting back pain. In homes with incomes below 100 percent of the federal poverty level, 44.8 percent of adults have back pain compared to 37.6 percent of adults living in homes with 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
Elderly people who suffer from pain
People 65 years of age or older were more likely to have pain than any other age group; In addition to the high prevalence of back pain, 42 percent have pain in the arm, hand or shoulder compared to 30.7 percent of the general population, and 50.3 percent have pain in the hips and legs compared to 36.5 percent of the population.
Thanks to medical and management breakthroughs, we’re living longer than ever before, but we weren’t really designed to live to be 90 or 100 years old, Lock says.
In 1920, the average life expectancy of the average American was 53 years old compared to 78 years in 2020, According to Statista, Provider of marketing and consumer data. “Unfortunately, our bodies wear down. As we age, we end up with more arthritis in our joints and spine which can also contribute to pain,” she says.
She adds that a lack of sleep can also be a problem as we get older, which is also linked to pain.
Living below the federal poverty level increases the likelihood of pain
The Federal Poverty Level (FPL) for an individual is the family income of $12,800 per year, and for a family of four, the family income is $26,500, according to Health and Human Services Guidelines 2021. People living below the federal poverty level were more likely to have back pain, thigh and leg pain, and arm, hand and shoulder pain than households above the federal poverty level, according to the report.
“There are a lot of studies that have shown a significant association between socioeconomic status and pain — there is definitely a healthcare disparity that exists here,” Locke says.
She says many factors contribute to the increased pain felt by people living in poverty. “Could it be that they do not have access to health care for other chronic diseases and this is contributing to their pain? Could it be that they are very anxious or not sleeping due to their economic situation?” Locke says.
A lack of physical activity can contribute to the chronic pain cycle
When you’re physically inactive for a long time, it can lead to a chronic pain cycle, she says. “You want to do more, but you’re more maladaptive and it hurts, and then you avoid physical activity, which can lead to more pain,” Luke says.
She says that sometimes this can be improved by changing the way you think. “Just because something hurts doesn’t mean it’s harmful or bad for you — knowing and accepting that can be beneficial to people,” Luke says.
Talk to your doctor about a safe way to raise your level of activity and find an exercise program or activity that you enjoy, she suggests.
Living with pain? See your doctor for help
If you’re in pain, you should definitely make an appointment with your doctor and talk about your symptoms so you can get the right treatment and diagnosis, says Locke.
“It could be an anatomical problem causing pain for which there could be an intervention. For example, if you have very bad osteoarthritis in your knee or hip, you may be a candidate for a knee or hip replacement.
Your doctor may be able to make recommendations about nonsurgical interventions, such as joint injections for hip pain or epidural steroid injections for back pain, she says. “They may be able to recommend non-opioid medications that can help with the problem as well,” Lock adds.
She says there are also important lifestyle factors that may help improve pain, which include achieving a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet, improving sleep, being physically active, and not smoking.
