Pain is commonly defined as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage (International Association for the Study of Pain, 2015). Acute pain is associated directly with underlying tissue damage and pain receptor activation, and it fades as tissues heal. It is associated with an identified cause (such as injury or disease) and responds to treatment. Pain becomes chronic if it extends after the expected healing time. Chronic pain is a condition, where the cause may not be identifiable, and often persists despite treatment. Pain is generally classified as “chronic” if it persists more than three months after the identifiable medical event.
“Acute pain is short term and self-limiting, often follows a predictable trajectory, and dissipates after an injury heals” (Jarvis, 2012). In contrast, “chronic (persistent) pain is diagnosed when the pain continues for 6 months or longer. It can last 5, 15, or 20 years and beyond” (Jarvis, 2012). “Chronic pain does not stop when the injury heals. It persists after the predicted trajectory. It outlasts its protective purpose, and the level of pain intensity does not correspond with the physical findings” (Jarvis,
In fact, these signals are what caused us to feel pain. They are sent through the nerves to the brain in response to getting injured. Then the brain processes it as sharp or dull pain. There are many words that can describe pain. Acute and chronic are just a few of many other categories that pain can fall in. Acute pain only last for a moment, whereas chronic can last for weeks. Both are associated with physical pain.
“Pain is much more than a physical sensation caused by a specific stimulus. An individual's perception of pain has important affective (emotional), cognitive, behavioral, and sensory components that are shaped by past experience, culture, and situational factors. The nature of the stimulus for pain can be physical, psychological, or a combination of both.” (Potter, Perry, Stockert, Hall, & Peterson, 2014 p. 141) As stated by Potter et al, the different natures of pain are dealt with differently depending on many factors. Knowing this, treating pain can be very difficult as there is no single or clear cut way of measuring it; “Even though the assessment and treatment of pain is a universally important health care issue,
Pain can be acute or chronic. Acute pain is intense, short in duration and generally a reaction to trauma. Chronic pain does not go away, and can range from a dull ache to excruciating agony. Terminal and non-terminal illnesses can both be causes of chronic pain. Tissue damage is not always found in chronic pain, but those who suffer from it are rendered "nonfunctional by incapacitating pain," (Murphy, 1981).
Pain can be categorized as acute or chronic pain. Chronic pain is described as pain that is both long-term and continuous, or is pain that persists after the expected healing time following an injury (British Pain Society, n.d.) Acute pain can provide a warning signal that an illness or injury has occurred. It is defined as pain that lasts less than three months and lessens with healing (Briggs, 2010). Acute pain can then be described in more detail by the following categories; somatic, visceral and neuropathic pain. Somatic pain is a localized pain described as sharp, burning, dull, aching or cramping. It is seen with incisional pain and orthopedic injuries or procedures. Visceral pain refers to an injury to the organs and linings of the body cavities. It produces diffuse pain and can be described as splitting, sharp or stabbing. This is pain that be described from patients with appendicitis, pancreatitis or intestinal injuries and illnesses. Injuries to the nerve fibers, spinal cord and central nervous system cause neuropathic pain. This pain can be described as shooting, burning, fiery, sharp, and as a painful numbness. This can be seen after an
Identifies onset and duration. Chronic pain persists after injury heals; it is pain that occurs for 6 months or longer.
Chronic pain is described as a persistent pain active in the nervous system for months to even years (WebMD), that can vary
Acute pain is a strong pain that does not last longer than three months. According to Bryant and Knights (2015), an acute pain gives an extreme feeling soreness associated with injury, surgery and diseases. However, the treatment can reduce the pain in a short period of time. The untreated acute pain may develop to a chronic pain and neuropathic pain. Due to the high level of pain in acute pain, the use of analgesic drugs such as opioid is necessary to control the pain. Filizola and Devi (2012) claim that as opioid drugs like morphine and codeine are highly potent analgesics. However, there are several side effects that influence the medical efficiency of the drugs. Furthermore, as an agonist analgesics, morphine relies on the Opioid Receptors
Chronic pain describes pain that persists over long periods of time. It handicaps the normal lifestyle and quality of one’s life (http://www.asri.edu/neuro/brochure/pain1.htm).
In order to fully answer this question, it is important to understand the definition of pain. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage” (Mersky and Bogduk ed 1994). The physiological function of the pain sensory system is protective in nature, to shield the body from actual or potential tissue damage. Pathological pain, on the other hand, is described as “spontaneous pain, hyperalgesia and allodynia, that persist for years or decades after all possible tissue healing has occurred” (Coderre et al 1993).
‘Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage’ (International association for the study of pain 2014). Pain can be made up of complex and subjective experiences. The experience of pain is highly personal and private, and can not be directly observed or measured from one person to the next (Mac Lellan 2006). According to the agency for health care policy and research 1992, an individuals self-report of pain is the most reliable indicator of its presence. This is also supported by Mc Caffery’s definition in 1972, when he said ‘Pain is whatever the experiencing patient says it is, existing whenever he says it does’.
As a Northwestern University professor of Anesthesiology, Honorio T. Benzon, defines chronic pain is “a demoralizing state that confronts individuals not only with the distress created by the symptoms but also with many other ongoing difficulties that compromise all aspects of their lives” (Benzon). Therefore, chronic pain is rooted in a variety of neurologic functions, integrated from the brain that affects the individual internally and externally. According to David B. Reuben MD, a professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine,
This website is about cancer pain and then there are different articles to get you familiar with the separate topics within cancer pain. I found one article about the basic facts about cancer pain. Acute pain and chronic or persistent pain are the two types of cancer pain. Acute pain is when the pain is intense and last for a short period of time and goes away when an injury is restored. On the other hand, chronic or persistent pain last for a long time and doesn’t go
Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts for six months or longer. Did you know that there are nearly 100 million people in our country who suffer from chronic, daily pain? These are the cases that are documented - many people suffer in silence.
Chronic pain is defined as a pain that doesn’t go away for a long time. The pain can last for weeks, more than 3 months, years, and might make someone feel hopeless. Chronic pain does not relief with regular pain medication. It is important to address chronic pain because is physically and psychologically stressful. Its persistent discomfort can lead to irritation and frustration with the person’s self and with other people. Pain affects not only mental health but interfere also with someone’s sleep pattern.