re acute vs. chronic
Acute is rapid/sudden onset pain. Generally when discussing acute onset pain it means that it happened quickly. Not slow in development.
If pain is short lived and will recur esp. multiple times it's called "episodic"
If pain is ongoing for a period of time I think being 6 months to a year more or less every day then it's considered chronic in nature.
Another word used in pain management is intractable pain .. pain which can't be controlled or is very difficult to control.
Generally if one has a sprain, fracture, or broken bone they will have acute pain which will heal hopefully and not become chronic.
People who have a multiple back surgeries sometimes end up in chronic pain secondary to various reasons... whereas their intial back problem may have started with an acute onset of back pain and for a period of time a person may have had episodes of painful flareups and then may at some point progress to chronic pain (pain that is there all the time)...
Is this helpful? Hope so.
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