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Acute vs Chronic Pain
The American Academy of Pain Medication offers some explanation of the differences between chronic and acute pain. Acute pain, says the organization, is defined as a normal sensation that has been triggered in the nervous system in order to alert you to possible injury. Acute pain is a warning to you of the need to take care of yourself, for example, if you touch a hot stove burner, your brain will send a message through the nervous system to remove the source of pain – in other words, take the hand off of the burner!
However, chronic pain is different. Chronic pain stays with you as a constant, if unwelcome, companion. Those same neurons that were firing in the nervous system when you burned your hand don’t stop firing with acute pain. In fact, the nervous system can keep firing for days, weeks or even years. For some people, there is a type of initial trauma, like a car accident or infection. For others, there is a source of ongoing pain such as arthritic or cancer – even an ear infection can cause long term pain.
For others, there is no obvious reason for pain that simply will not go away. Chronic pain often includes headaches, lower back pain, or neurogenic pain, which is a form of pain that results from damage to the peripheral nerves or to the central nervous system itself.
Some groups of people are more likely to experience chronic pain than others. For example, in the elderly who live at home, up to 50% suffer from chronic pain, while 71% to 83% of elderly residents of nursing homes report at least one persistent pain problem.
In addition, women are less likely than men to be treated for pain.
One important reason to receive treatment for chronic pain is that it not only causes physical discomfort, but it can also interfere with self-esteem, social relationships, and family life. In addition, there is a high correlation between chronic pain and depression.
If you or someone you know is living with chronic pain, see a pain management specialist.
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