What distinguishes acute pain from chronic pain?

Acute pain is characterized by its duration and the underlying reason for its occurrence. It typically lasts for a short period, often defined as pain that resolves within a few days to a couple of weeks, in relation to the healing process after an injury or surgery. Chronic pain, on the other hand, is defined as pain that persists for longer than three months and can continue long after the initial injury or condition that caused it has healed.

By identifying chronic pain as pain that lasts longer than three months, it emphasizes the nature of chronic pain as a complex condition that may not respond well to standard pain relief methods and often requires a more comprehensive treatment approach. This distinction is important in the field of pain management and reflects the differences in how acute and chronic pain are approached clinically.