Preventive Healthcare for Chronic Pain

Chronic Pain and Prevention

Chronic pain, defined as pain lasting longer than three months, is the most prevalent health condition in Europe and a leading contributor to global disability. Common forms of chronic pain include musculoskeletal pain (e.g. low back and neck pain, osteoarthritis), neuropathic pain, cancer–related pain, postsurgical pain, and headache disorders such as migraine. Far beyond physical symptoms, chronic pain impairs quality of life, limits participation in work and society, and increases the risk of mental health conditions, social isolation, and other chronic conditions.

The economic toll is also substantial. Calculations show that annual costs of chronic pain may be as high as €12 billion or 4% of GDP, due to healthcare spending, lost productivity, and long-term sickness absence. Despite this burden, chronic pain remains under-recognised and underfunded. Treatments often provide only short-term relief, failing to prevent the progression to long-term disability.

Prevention of chronic pain is not only a public health imperative, it is a social and economic necessity. Early action can reduce the incidence and severity of pain, improve health equity, and protect the long-term sustainability of Europe’s healthcare systems. Crucially, prevention offers the potential to disrupt intergenerational cycles of disadvantage and improve quality of life for millions of people across Europe.

What Is Prevention in the Context of Chronic Pain?

Prevention refers to measures that reduce the risk of illness or long-term disability before it develops or becomes more severe. In chronic pain, two forms of prevention are particularly relevant:

• Primary prevention aims to stop chronic pain before it starts, by addressing modifiable risk factors and promoting healthy behaviours—particularly among people with acute or subacute pain.

• Secondary prevention focuses on early detection and timely intervention to prevent pain from becoming chronic or recurring.

Key Recommendations for Action

To address these challenges, the Societal Impact of Pain (SIP) Platform, led by the European Pain Federation EFIC and Pain Alliance Europe (PAE), calls on EU and national policymakers to:

• Launch public health campaigns to improve pain-related health literacy among professionals, patients, and the general public.

• Promote structured exercise and education programmes in clinical and workplace settings to reduce risk and recurrence of chronic pain.

• Develop and implement evidence-based standards for managing pain, reducing low-value care, and improving access to effective interventions.

• Ensure early access to biopsychosocial rehabilitation for high-risk individuals with acute pain.

• Support inclusive employment policies and workplace interventions to enable job retention and return to work.

• Foster cross-sector collaboration between health, mental health, employment, education, and social protection systems.

• Strengthen primary care systems to ensure timely diagnosis and follow-up.

• Increase funding for prevention research, focusing on mechanisms of pain, effective interventions, real-world implementation, and data systems.