Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which include physical and emotional abuse, neglect and household dysfunction, are the most common and intense childhood stressors. Although exposure to at least one ACE is common, occurring in around half of children, experiencing multiple events can have an impact on health in later life.
One possible impact is an increased risk of chronic pain in adulthood. Unfortunately, current pain treatments have limited effectiveness in addressing pain following ACEs, consequently the number of people living with chronic pain is increasing.