Acute pain is a normal response to injury, inflammation or damage to soft tissue. This is the type of pain that doesn’t last more than 3-4 months,once the cause of the pain heals then the pain disappears.
Chronic pain is the opposite of acute pain which can last for years and it is a disease on it’s own, removing the cause of the pain doesn’t stop it .
Example of issues or diseases associated with acute pain include sprained ankle, childbirth, touching hot surfaces, mild infections etc. An example of chronic pain is present in cancer.
Symptoms include:
- Throbbing
- Numbness
- Pain
- Tingling
Treatment and management of acute pain
The physician needs to identify the cause of the pain, once it is treated . The pain disappears.
However some other ways of management of pain in the course of disease or infection include:
1. Use of NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs) e.g ibuprofen
2. Application of ice or cold compress
3. Resting the part with pain
4. Use of steroids e.g Diclofenac in the case of sprained ankle.
Ensure you get adequate treatment from a physician and if such pain last more than 4 months, it is necessary to go back to the hospital for check-up.