Chronic pain is a hidden epidemic. It’s time for a revolution.
Can science finally bring us relief?
The New York Times Magazine

January 18, 2025

On our cover this week: Chronic pain is mostly invisible. But according to a 2011 Institute of Medicine report, roughly 100 million Americans, almost one-third of the U.S. population, have chronic pain, more than have diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined. Globally, some studies put the number at 2 billion. The writer Jennifer Kahn has suffered from a long bout of unexplained chronic pain. She shares her story — and examines the new research that may soon revolutionize treatment.

An image with a distorted and elongated face.

Marcus Schaefer for The New York Times

Chronic Pain Is a Hidden Epidemic. It’s Time for a Revolution.

As many as two billion people suffer from it — including me. Can science finally bring us relief?

By Jennifer Kahn

5 Things We Know About Chronic Pain

After developing chronic pain, I started looking into what scientists do — and still don’t — understand about the disease. Here is what I learned.

By Jennifer Kahn

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