Acute pain is a type of pain that typically lasts less than 6 months, and sharp in quality. Acute pain usually comes on suddenly and is caused by something specific such as soft tissue damage or a ligament sprain. It goes away when there is no longer an underlying cause for the pain. Causes of acute pain include:
Chronic pain is a type of pain that lasts longer than 6 months, and can be mild or excruciating, episodic or continuous, merely inconvenient or totally incapacitating.
