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Acute Pain
Acute pain is pain that lasts a short time and is clearly caused by tissue damage. This includes minor and major injuries, burns and surgery related pain. Acute pain usually improves within three months. If pain lasts longer than three months it is considered to be persistent or chronic.
Chronic or persistent pain
Chronic or persistent pain is pain that lasts longer than 3 months. It includes:
- - Pain that has an identifiable or obvious cause (an injury), and
- - Pain that no longer has an identifiable cause (i.e. the original injury has healed)
Persistent or chronic pain with an obvious cause includes conditions like arthritis, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, or persistent leg ulcers. In persistent or chronic pain with no obvious cause, pain continues longer than you would expect (e.g. fibromyalgia, which is generalised muscle soreness and stiffness). In these cases the nervous system misfires and continues to send pain signals even though there may be no damage.
Persistent or chronic pain can also be made worse by a lack of exercise that causes physical weakening. Our thoughts and emotions can also affect how we respond to persistent or chronic pain.
There are two basic types of pain; nociceptive pain and neuropathic pain.
Nociceptive (no-si-sep-tiv) pain is caused by an injury to body tissues.
Neuropathic (noo-r-uh-path-ik) pain is caused by abnormalities in the nerves, spinal cord, or brain.
If you suffer from persistent or chronic pain it is vital to have good communication with your doctor and other health care professionals so that you can get the help you need to live well in spite of your pain. It is often good to have your partner, family member or a close friend accompany you when you visit the doctor so they will have an understanding of your problems.
Further information on persistent pain can be found in the "Coping with persistent pain" booklet available for download.