Acute/Chronic Pain

Acute VS Chronic Pain

Acute pain begins suddenly and is usually sharp in quality. It can serve as a warning of disease or a threat to the body. Some examples of acute pain include: surgery, broken bones, dental work, burns or cuts, labor and childbirth. Acute pain may be mild and last just a moment, or it can be severe and can last up to weeks or months.

However, it disappears when the underlying cause of pain has been treated or has healed. But unrelieved acute pain may lead into chronic pain

Chronic pain persists even though the injury has healed. Pain signals remain active in the nervous system for weeks, months, even years. Physical effects include tense muscles, limited mobility, a lack of energy, and a change of appetite. Emotional effects can include depression, anger, anxiety, and fear of re-injury.

Chronic pain complaints can include: headache, low back pain, arthritis pain, neurogenic pain (pain resulting from damage to nerves.)

Depending on the severity, pain may be treated in a number of ways. The first being drug treatment. Such as non-prescription drugs like Aleve, Motrin, and Tylenol. Then there are your stronger medicines that you get by prescription such as Morphine, codeine, or anesthesia. These medicines are used with muscle relaxers and anti-depressants.

Nerve blocks which is the blocking of a group of nerves with local anesthetics.

Alternative treatments such as acupuncture, relaxation, hypnosis and bio feedback, electrical stimulation, and physical therapy, surgery, psychological counseling and behavior modification. All these things can be helpful in relieving pain, some may work better for others, different treatments may work better, its all trial and error, work with your doctor to find the right combination that works best for you.

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/pain-basics

Margaret Schell Frazier, Janet Wist Drzymkowski, Essentials of Human Diseases and Conditions, 5th edition, pages 26-29