Many people who suffer pain from chronic conditions such as arthritis and back disorders find daily activities such as sleeping and walking difficult, and they have yet to find relief, even though half of them have switched doctors and have been miserable for more than 5 years.

“Although not everyone can be helped,” according to the president of the American Pain Society, “it is very likely that most of these patients could benefit if provided with state-of-the-art therapies and improved access to pain specialists.”

Only a few pain sufferers surveyed had been referred to specialized pain treatment programs. Best advice from the American Academy of Pain Medicine and the American Pain Society: Get a referral to a pain specialist. Don’t suffer needlessly. Medication is only one of many strategies that can be used to treat pain and the disability that may come with it. Both drug therapy and non-drug approaches can work.