Chronic Pain Types 4 Common Types of Chronic Pain Conditions Most Commonly Seen in American Adults By Erica Jacques linkedin Erica Jacques, OT, is a board-certified occupational therapist at a level one trauma center. Learn about our editorial process Erica Jacques Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Jenny Sweigard, MD on April 13, 2020 linkedin Jenny Sweigard, MD, is board-certified in internal medicine. She is an in-patient physician at Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center in North Carolina. Learn about our Medical Review Board Jenny Sweigard, MD on April 13, 2020 Print Chronic pain is commonly defined as any pain that lasts more than 12 weeks. Whereas acute pain is the normal sensation which alerts us to an injury or illness, chronic pain is one that persists, often for months or even longer. Paul Bradbury / Getty Images Chronic pain is estimated to affect 20 percent of U.S. adults. It can be caused by a musculoskeletal injury (involving the bones, muscles, or joints), nervous system dysfunction, chronic diseases, and autoimmune disorders. Learn about some of the most common causes affecting American adults today below. Chronic Back Pain According to research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, no less than 84 percent of adults in the U.S. will experience chronic back pain at some point in their life. Often occurring in the lower back, the pain may be caused by an injury or develop progressively due to arthritis, osteoporosis, or normal wear and tear. Back pain has become an epidemic in the United States, and it is a leading cause of disability and lost productivity in the workplace today. Common causes of chronic back pain include: Slipped or bulging discs, typically caused by twisting or lifting injuriesSpinal stenosis involving the narrowing of the spinal canal and compression of nervesCompression fractures, commonly associated with osteoporosisSoft-tissue damage caused by strain or trauma to back muscles, ligaments, or tendonsSpinal fracturesStructural deformities such as scoliosis (the abnormal sideways curvature of the spine) or lordosis (the excessive inward curvature of the lower back) Ways to Cope With Chronic Back Pain Chronic Headaches According to research, 50 percent of the adult population will report headaches during the course of a year, while more than 90 percent will report a lifetime history of headaches. A chronic headache is one that occurs for at least 15 days per month for no less than three consecutive months. The most common types of chronic headaches are: Tension headaches caused by stress, fatigue, or sleeping wrongEye strain headaches caused when the ocular muscles become strainedMigraines caused by nervous system triggers or hormonal irregularitiesCluster headaches caused by the enlargement of blood vessels in the head How to Deal With Chronic Headache Pain Chronic Joint Pain Joint pain, typically caused by injury, infection, or advancing age, is one of the leading types of chronic pain among American adults. According to a report from the U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative, arthritis is the most common cause, affecting over 51 million Americans (or roughly one of every two adults). Some of the more common types of chronic joint pain are: Osteoarthritis, common in the elderly and usually affecting the larger jointsRheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disorder which causes swelling of the joint spacesRepetitive motion injury, common in athletes and people who do repetitive physical activitiesBursitis, caused by swelling of the fluid-filled sacs that cushion the jointsTendinitis, caused by the inflammation of joint tendons Chronic Nerve Pain Chronic nerve (neuropathic) pain affects one of every 10 Americans, according to a study from the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine. This commonly happens when the nerves are either compressed, damaged, or exposed to drugs that strip their protective exterior coating (called the myelin sheath). Some of the more common examples of chronic neuropathic pain are: Sciatica, typically caused by nerve compression which triggers a shooting pain down the legDiabetic neuropathy, often occurring in the hands or feetCarpal tunnel syndrome, commonly associated with repetitive motionPostherpetic neuralgia, a type of chronic pain which persists after a shingles outbreakTrigeminal neuralgia, caused by injury to the trigeminal nerve of the face Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Dahlhamer J, Lucas J, Zelaya, C, et al. Prevalence of Chronic Pain and High-Impact Chronic Pain Among Adults—United States, 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018;67:1001–1006. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6736a2 Raffaeli W, Arnaudo E. Pain as a disease: an overview. J Pain Res. 2017;10:2003–2008. Published 2017 Aug 21. doi:10.2147/JPR.S138864 Additional Reading Freberger, J.; Holmes, G.; and Agar, R. "The Rising Prevalence of Chronic Low Back Pain." Arch Intern Med. 2009; 169(3):251-58. DOI: 10.1001/archinternmed.2008.543. Jensen, R. and Stovner, L. "Epidemiology and Comorbidity of Headache". Lancet Neurol. 2008;7:354–61. DOI: 10.1016/S1474-4422(08)70062-0. Yawn, P.; Wollen, P.; Weingarten, T. et al. "The Prevalence of Neuropathic Pain: Clinical Evaluation Compared With Screening Tools in a Community Population." Pain Med. 2009; 10(3):586-93. DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2009.00588.x. U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative. (2012) The Impact of Musculoskeletal Disorders on Americans — Opportunities for Action (Third Edition). Rosemont, Illinois: U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative. ISBN 978-0-9963091-1-0.