Acute Pain vs Chronic Pain
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Acute pain is a short-term alarm that protects you while the body heals. It is linked to an injury, surgery or illness, and settles as the body recovers. Chronic pain continues beyond about three months and can behave differently – often because the nervous system has become more sensitive (the alarm has been “turned up”), not because damage is getting worse. Recommended videos and resources What Is Acute Pain and Chronic Pain? (PainBytes) What you’ll learn: The basic difference between acute and chronic pain, why pain lasting more than three months can behave differently from pain after a recent injury, and how ongoing disease, nerve injury or an over-sensitive nervous system can contribute. Making Sense of Pain What you’ll learn: The difference between pain as an alarm and chronic pain, why chronic pain can be hard to link to one specific tissue, and why nervous-system changes may not show up on scans or routine tests. Pain Neuroscience 101 What you’ll learn: A patient-friendly overview of how pain works in the body and ways to manage it. Select the named video on the page. Why Do We Feel Pain Differently? What you’ll learn: Why pain varies between people and the science behind the pain experience. Select the named video on the page. These resources are provided for general patient education and are not a substitute for an individual medical assessment or treatment plan. Persistent pain can have many causes, and the most appropriate management depends on the individual. If you have new, severe or changing symptoms, discuss them with your doctor or treating health professional. The videos and websites listed are produced by other organisations; links open on the external website. |
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