Petition for Change
End Invisible Pain
We demand increased research funding, better healthcare access, and policy change for everyone living with chronic pain — children, adults, all conditions, all backgrounds.
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Our Demands
Increased Federal Research Funding
Allocate dedicated NIH funding for chronic pain research across all ages and conditions — with priority for underfunded areas like childhood chronic pain, AMPS, and CRPS.
Insurance Coverage Reform
Mandate insurance coverage for chronic pain treatments — including emerging therapies for conditions like CRPS, AMPS, fibromyalgia, and dysautonomia — for patients of every age.
School Accommodation Standards
Establish nationwide accommodation standards for students and workers living with chronic pain — covering school plans, workplace flexibility, and disability recognition.
Why This Petition Matters
The Numbers Demand Action
Every statistic below is a person whose pain was dismissed — a child, an adult, a family left without answers. Chronic pain crosses every age and condition. These numbers are illustrative examples of the crisis, many drawn from pediatric research where the gap is most acute. Signing this petition changes that.
Youth with chronic pain meet criteria for an anxiety disorder
A 2024 NIH meta-analysis found that 1 in 3 young people with chronic pain also meet diagnostic criteria for anxiety — a compounding burden rarely addressed by insurers.
PMC / NIH Meta-Analysis, 2024
Of pediatric CRPS patients report no functional difficulties after intensive treatment
IASP research shows ~80% of children treated with intensive interdisciplinary rehabilitation reported no pain-related functional difficulties five years later — yet most insurance plans deny this treatment.
IASP Relief News / Long-Term CRPS Outcomes Study
Average family healthcare costs before intensive pain treatment
Families spend an estimated $74,217 in the year before accessing a proper intensive pain program — costs that collapse to $15,378 after. Insurance reform would save families and the system tens of thousands.
PubMed — Cost-Effectiveness of Intensive Interdisciplinary Pediatric Pain Treatment
Youth with chronic pain also meet criteria for depression
1 in 8 children living with chronic pain develops clinical depression — a treatable condition that insurers routinely exclude from pain-related care plans.
PMC / NIH Meta-Analysis, 2024
Saved per family in the year after intensive rehabilitation
Proper treatment doesn't just heal children — it saves money. Every family that receives timely intensive care saves an estimated $27,119 the following year. Policy inaction costs everyone.
PubMed — Cost-Effectiveness of Intensive Pain Rehabilitation
Of pediatric chronic pain patients regain full daily function after intensive treatment
A PMC study tracking children through an intensive interdisciplinary pain program found 88% regained day-to-day functional ability — proof that with the right treatment, recovery is not just possible, it is the norm.
PMC — Children with Chronic Pain: Response Trajectories, 2018
Full or partial recovery rate for pediatric CRPS with proper treatment
Research shows 93% of children with CRPS achieve full or partial recovery when given appropriate treatment. CRPS is NOT a life sentence — the lie that it's untreatable keeps children from getting the care they deserve.
PMC — Kachko et al., Pediatric CRPS Review
Of schools fail to provide adequate accommodations for children with chronic pain
Despite legal obligations under the ADA and Section 504, roughly half of families report their school denied or inadequately provided accommodations — leaving recovering children without the flexible attendance, rest breaks, and modified schedules that make recovery possible.
RSDSA Pediatric Information Package / MDPI Chronic Pain Research
Of NIH chronic pain research budget dedicated to pediatric CRPS
Despite CRPS being one of the most painful conditions known to medicine, children with CRPS receive a vanishingly small share of federal research investment — this petition demands that changes now.
NIH Research Portfolio / Advocacy Reports
"These people are not statistics. They are daughters, sons, siblings, parents, and partners — waiting for the world to believe them."
Your signature is their voice.