Acute or chronic pain: What's the difference?

Written By Louise Crooks

How to describe your pain. Acute or Chronic in relation to health.

Acute = recently and severe

Chronic = long lasting

In healthcare acute and chronic can be used to describe two key things:

1. Pain

2. Diseases/Conditions/Injuries

Acute pain is severe and typically lasts up to 6 months though this time frame is debated a lot.

  • Pain from a fracture

  • Labour pain

  • Pain from indigestion

  • Pain from heart attack

Chronic pain is pain that has continued for more than 3-6 months.  Long term or chronic pain does not tell you how severe it is.  You could have chronic mild pain or chronic severe pain.  

  • Arthritic pain

  • Complex regional pain syndrome

  • Pain from Frozen shoulder

  • Pain from plantarfasciitis

It is possible to have an acute episode of pain on top of chronic pain.  This is the case for may people who have arthritis.  They have chronic low-grade joint pain but every now and then they get a flare up and an episode of acute pain.

Acute conditions are severe and get to this severe stage very quickly.

  • A fracture

  • A sprained ankle

  • Pancreatitis

  • An asthma attack

Chronic conditions last for a long time - several months or years.

  • Cystic Fibrosis

  • Diabetes mellitus

  • Multiple sclerosis

  • Asthma

Louise Crooks www.ravenswritingdesk.co.uk
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