About 60% of Adults Report Musculoskeletal Pain
In 2019, an estimated 58.9% of adults in the United States experienced pain in the previous three months, according to data from the National Health Interview Survey. The findings of the study, which evaluated 32,000 randomly selected adults, were published in a data brief by the National Center for Health Statistics (July 2021). Back pain was reported by 39% of adults, lower limb pain by 36.5% and upper-limb pain by 30.7%. The prevalence of pain experienced in each of these locations increased with age and was highest among adults ages 65 and older. The percentage of adults with back, lower limb, or upper limb pain also increased as income decreased, with the highest percentages at poverty level. In addition, women and non-Hispanic White adults were more likely to report back or upper-limb pain.
