It’s estimated that more than 80% of Americans will experience joint pain at some point in their life. Though back pain is the most common, it’s just one of many types of pain that can occur within the musculoskeletal (MSK) system; a system that includes muscles, bones, joints, and associated tissues.
Understanding joint pain
Musculoskeletal pain can take 2 different forms:
Acute: Usually comes on suddenly and is caused by something specific. Pain is typically sharp and lasts for 3 to 6 months — a sprained ankle, for example.
Chronic: Ongoing and usually comes on more gradually after initial injury. Pain typically lasts longer than 6 months — low back pain, for example.
In this site, we’ll be focusing on chronic musculoskeletal pain. Here are the typical regions where pain occurs and some common conditions:
| Region: | Joints | Bones | Muscles | Spine | Multiple areas |
| Common chronic condition: | Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis | Osteoporosis, osteopenia | Sarcopenia | Back pain, neck pain | Lupus, fibromyalgia |
Why is it important to proactively manage and prevent chronic musculoskeletal pain?
- Diminished quality of life. More than one-third of adults say low back pain has affected their ability to engage in tasks of daily living (39%), exercise (38%) and sleep (37%).
- Lost work time. Pain, loss of function and time off for treatments can lead to large amounts of lost work time and decreased wages.
- Increased health care costs. When factoring in all forms of treatment – especially if surgery is required – your health care costs can skyrocket. On average, health care costs for people with back pain are 60% higher than those without back pain.
The good news? No matter what type of chronic musculoskeletal pain you have, there are resources and programs to help, available as part of your health benefits.