INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — More than 50 million adults in the United States are living with chronic pain and for millions relief still comes with risks. The opioid crisis continues to claim tens of thousands of lives each year. Now, scientists are racing to find new ways to treat pain without addiction.

A car accident more than 25 years ago has left Malia Baird living in constant pain.

"I have pain 24 hours every day and will for the rest of my life,” Baird said. "Terrible burning pain. Like if you ever are standing too close to a campfire and you have to back off, it was as though I was standing in a fire."

Baird is not alone. The CDC reports about one in five U.S. adults live with chronic pain and many turn to opioids for relief. Studies show misuse rates among chronic pain patients up to 29 percent, creating a dangerous cycle of dependence.

"Opioid epidemic kills around 80,000 Americans every year,” Ru-Rong Ji, PhD, Neurobiologist at Duke Health said.

At Duke University, researchers are developing new types of painkillers designed to relieve pain. Instead of targeting the same pathways as opioids, this experimental drug works differently; inside nerve cells, a goal long thought impossible.

"Now we have one compound that can both inhibit pain and also prevent addiction,” Ru-Rong Ji said.

Scientists are exploring what's happening inside our cells when pain becomes chronic. New findings show when mitochondria - the energy source inside cells - stop working properly, nerve pain can worsen.

"I'm optimistic in the near future we will have this class of non-opioid pain therapeutics,” Ru-Rong Ji said.

These researchers believe restoring healthy mitochondria will help repair nerves and reduce pain at its source. These treatments are still in development, but scientists say they could mark a major shift in how pain is treated and how addiction is prevented.

Researchers said if future testing continues to show promise, human clinical trials could follow. Scientists also note that the future of pain care may not rely on one single drug, but a combination of new medicines, technology and non-drug approaches designed to treat pain without creating dependence.