In 2021, an estimated 20.9% of U.S. adults (or 51.6 million people) experienced chronic pain lasting more than three months. And among people who have chronic pain, almost two-thirds suffer from it for more than a year.
Workers’ compensation injuries almost always involve pain, with some workers suffering for the rest of their lives. In a 2020 Healthesystems survey of workers’ comp stakeholders, respondents ranked chronic pain as the most concerning health risk within claims populations.
Chronic pain affects every aspect of a person’s life and even comes with health complications such as depression. In the workplace, the consequences of chronic pain include increased absenteeism, decreased productivity, higher healthcare costs, and higher levels of psychosocial stress.
When it comes to the treatment of pain, the workers’ comp industry has largely shifted away from opioid medications due to inappropriate long-term prescribing and the high potential for opioid abuse. But chronic pain isn’t going away – and it’s an inherent part of workers’ comp injuries. Let’s look at how chronic pain continues to affect workers, along with the latest non-opioid treatment options.
What is Chronic Pain?
According to the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) practice guidelines, chronic pain is pain that lasts for at least three months. The Official Disability Guidelines (ODG) for the treatment of chronic pain also confirm this definition, while the Institute for Chronic Pain defines it as pain lasting more than six months.
In the case of workers’ compensation injuries, pain occurs as a result of the injury and then persists beyond typical healing time. But it’s important to note that chronic pain may occur in addition to the pain of the original injury. Put simply, it is “pain that continues when it should not.”
