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- Written by David Wilkening David Wilkening
Pain comes in all shapes and sizes. No one wants to suffer it. But if you had a choice of what’s the best kind to get, you’d choose “A” for acute. That sounds bad. But it’s better than “C” for “chronic.”
So why is that, and what’s the difference, anyway? And why should you care?
The simple reason is the bottom line: Knowing your kind of pain will help you get the best treatment.
Pain is the most common complaint encountered by healthcare practitioners. Some surveys found up to 80% of physician visits were attributed to pain. It’s generally the No. 1 reason Americans access the healthcare system.
Acute Pain
Obviously, no one wants to suffer pain. But it definitely should get your attention: Something is wrong.
At its simplest, acute pain happens quickly and goes away when the cause is no longer there. Say you touch a hot plate on the stove while preparing a meal. You burn yourself. You immediately pull your hand away. That’s good. Why? Because it tells you that you have an injury.
Acute pain is the most common type of pain, associated with most general injuries or illnesses. This type of pain is most often linked to some type of trauma to the affected area, whether that is a car accident or a simple muscle strain.
Typical causes of acute pain can include surgery, dental work, broken bones, burns, and childbirth. Common acute orthopedic conditions can include fractures, dislocations, hernias, sprains, and muscle strains.
Chronic Pain
With acute pain, the pain goes away when there is no longer an underlying cause for it. There was some discomfort, but soon your life goes on.
Not so with chronic pain. This lingers for anywhere from three to six months or longer, although the definition and timeline of chronic pain are not precisely established. It remains an unwelcome stranger — even after the injury or illness that caused it has healed or disappeared.
Chronic pain, furthermore, does not have to be constant or consistent. In some cases, it can come and go.
Typical causes of chronic pain include anything from headaches to cancer. Chronic orthopedic issues facing older patients include arthritis, osteoporosis, bursitis, lower back pain, joint pain, nerve damage, and past injuries.
Chronic pain also tends to create related issues, such as tense muscles, limited ability to move around, a lack of energy, and changes in appetite. Other demons, such as depression, anxiety, anger, and fears, are also associated with chronic pain.
Chronic pain is more trying than the more common acute version. It can have a tremendous impact on people of all ages, interfering with your sleep patterns, creating all types of emotional distress, and affecting your everyday activities.
Treatments
Both acute and chronic pain are enormous problems in the United States, costing 650 million lost workdays and $65 billion a year, according to some estimates.
When it comes to ordinary acute pain, most sufferers are handled by primary-care physicians. That’s because minor acute pain can be treated easily through over-the-counter medicines, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen; by physical therapy; or even with exercise or alternative treatments.
Chronic pain, however, often requires stronger medicines and more intensive therapies, which might include acupuncture, biofeedback, relaxation training (meditation and deep breathing), and even hypnosis.
Some treatment plans include physical therapy, focusing on muscle use. Occupational therapy may be prescribed to focus on specific tasks, such as walking up and down stairs and getting in and out of a vehicle with less pain.
Massage therapy can also help for some types of pain relief.
Even more tools for helping chronic pain sufferers are being developed by the National Health Institute.
If you or your doctor decides your pain is not acute but chronic, know there are treatment options for relief. These often include pain relievers and other medications, but you might feel better knowing there are a variety of other methods available.
David Wilkening spent most of his working life on newspapers. He sometimes calls himself a former "newspaperman," which in today's world is an outdated designation.