DEFINING A NEW CONCEPT OF PAIN.

• Position: ACTIVITY RESTRICTIONS

Disability is as likely in the chronic pain population as it is in those with kidney failure, emphysema, or stroke. This is the reality for 11,000,000 U.S. adults with high impact chronic pain (HICP), a new concept that describes those with pain lasting three months or longer and accompanied by at least one major activity restriction.

This study was conducted by scientists at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute.

"The multidimensional nature of chronic pain is not reflected in commonly used operational definitions based solely on pain duration, resulting in inordinately high prevalence estimates that limit our ability to effectively address chronic pain on a national level," says study coauthor Mark Pitcher, visiting fellow in the Division of Intramural Research at NCCIH.

Among the study's findings is the revelation that pain-related disability identifies a substantial portion of the chronic-pain population experiencing progressive deterioration in mental and physical health outcomes along with substantially higher health-care usage. Together, the HICP population constitutes some 4.8% of U.S. adults. About 83% of people with HICP were unable to work for a living, and one-third had difficulty with self-care activities, such as washing themselves and getting dressed.

"By differentiating those with HICP, a condition...