According to the US Institute of Medicine, one in three people suffer from chronic pain – more than from heart disease, cancer, and diabetes combined. Pain is the leading cause of disability, especially back pain among people under 45 years of age and joint pain in older individuals.
慢性疼痛的社会影响是巨大的。据美国医学会（US Institute of Medicine）估计，三分之一的人饱受慢性疼痛的折磨——比心脏病、癌症和糖尿病加起来还要多。疼痛是残疾的主要诱因，特别是45岁以下背痛人群和关节痛老人。光是在美国，慢性疼痛每年就要造成大约6,000亿美元的成本。