More than 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain according to the Institute of Medicine, a debilitating reality that costs the country upward of $635 billion each year in treatment and lost productivity.
At the same time, the United States is in the midst of a prescription painkiller epidemic. Widespread overprescription of painkillers resulted in opioid misuse and addiction, a problem that's muddied the conversation surrounding chronic pain even further.
