Pain receptors in the leg or elsewhere send pain messages to the brain through the spinal cord (left). Medtronic Pain Therapies block these pain signals.

What is Chronic pain?

Pain receptors in the leg or elsewhere send pain messages to the brain through the spinal cord (left). Medtronic Pain Therapies block these pain signals.

You may have chronic pain if your pain has lasted more than six months and is not relieved by medical and/or surgical care. Chronic pain may result from a previous injury long since healed. Or it may be from an ongoing condition, such as back and/or leg pain, cancer pain, complex regional pain syndrome, or painful neuropathy.

Chronic Pain Statistics
It is estimated that 15% to 33% of the U.S. population², or as many as 70 million people³, are affected by chronic pain. It disables more people than cancer or heart disease and costs the American people more than both combined. Pain costs an estimated $100 billion a year in medical costs, lost working days, and workers compensation⁴.

Causes and Treatment of Chronic Pain
Pain is a process. Receptors in your skin and other tissues send impulses through the nerves to the spinal cord. The impulses then travel to the brain. It is in the brain, not at the point of injury, where the sensation of pain is registered. This insight led doctors to understand that pain could be controlled by preventing the pain impulses from reaching the brain. If the pain impulses never reach the brain, the pain is not "felt." Pain can sometimes be difficult to control and get in the way of daily activities for you and your family. Medications or other types of treatments help most people control their pain. But for many people whose pain treatment is no longer effective or causes uncomfortable side effects, clinical studies have shown improved pain relief as well as improved ability to pursue daily activities with neurostimulation^5-8,9 and intrathecal drug delivery^10-16. Not all treatment options are applicable to your type of pain.