Chronic Pain Medicine

Chronic neck pain and low back pain are highly prevalent medical conditions that cause considerable pain, disability, and economic burden [1, 2]. Cervicalgia has an annual prevalence exceeding 30%, with an estimated half of these individuals experiencing some degree of chronicity, making it the fourth leading cause of disability in the United States [1]. The lifetime prevalence of low back pain is estimated at 60–70%, affecting people of all ages, but the highest likelihood is in the fifth or sixth decade of life. This contributes to the highest number of disability-adjusted life years in the United States in 2010 [2–4]. Furthermore, low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, according to a 2010 study of Global Burden of Disease [5].