Data from 2023 reveal that one in four Americans suffered chronic pain (pain that lasts three months or longer). One in twelve suffered high-impact chronic pain (chronic pain that interferes with activity).
“This is the highest prevalence of chronic pain ever recorded in the U.S.,” says Hanna Grol-Prokopczyk, associate professor of sociology, State University of New York at Buffalo.
What else occurs in one-in-four of us? Death due to heart disease. Cancer risk. Mental health disorders. Opioid use disorder.
My guess is that you know more about those other risks than you do about pain.
First, there is pain threshold: the point at which an individual feels pain. This threshold is unique to each of us.
Second, there is pain tolerance: just how much pain can a person endure once she feels it. It, too, is unique.
My perception is that in the US, “high pain tolerance” is considered a positive character trait. Think about Hollywood movies. Football players. Olympic athletes. Menstrual pain. Everyone going about their jobs regardless of pain levels.
However, what those “just soldier through it” examples ignore is the fact that the body experiences pain for a reason: it’s been injured. For example, I didn’t know that those menstrual cramps I had into my 30s were a symptom of endometriosis, a condition we discovered only once I needed a hysterectomy.
If you pride yourself on high pain tolerance, this essay is for you. Because I’m asking you to rethink that stoic response.
I’m currently living with high-impact chronic pain. I had left hip pain in the late fall. My six-month PET scan showed nothing, so my cancer care team and I breathed a sigh of relief. The pain got a little better, then it returned in January with a vengeance and moved to the outside of my left leg below the knee.
Last weekend I was in Palm Springs and was unwilling to venture out of the house much because I never knew if I was going to be able to walk more than five steps without excruciating pain.
On Wednesday, I saw my doctor of physical therapy. After reviewing new tests (a hip x-ray and report from a D.O. in my PCP’s office) she did an assessment. “Good news,” she said. “We seem to have caught this damage to L5-S1 early.” No foot drop. No numbness. Not cancer! Now I’m taking gabapentin (ugh) as well as Aleve and Tylenol. Waiting for an MRI for confirmation. Will start PT exercises. Understand recovery is a long haul. (I’m old!)
I’m trying not to kick myself too hard. I might have seen her two weeks earlier if I hadn’t postponed setting up that appointment … because, well, the pain might stop again. Or get better. Right?
The downsides of high pain tolerance are clear: delayed diagnosis, delayed treatment and incomplete understanding between patient and doctor. (I hate being asked to rate pain on a 1-to-10 scale.)
Studies show that people with long-term pain often develop coping mechanisms that allow them to function, but these adjustments can blur the line between everyday pain and new, potentially critical symptoms. Some people start to normalize pain so thoroughly that they might dismiss the warning signs of a more severe condition. This could mean overlooking signs of a herniated disc, spinal issues, or even neurological concerns when what they perceive as “normal” discomfort could actually indicate something far more serious.
So if you’ve been living with pain … or suddenly experience pain that doesn’t go away … seek help sooner than later, while complications are preventable.
