Have you ever wondered what the difference between acute and chronic pain is? It is very important to understand what makes these 2 different since they require different treatment approaches.

1. Acute Pain:

Acute pain occurs very suddenly and serves as a warning signal that something is wrong. Depending on the severity of the injury, it usually doesn’t last long and gets resolved if treated correctly (usually within 3 months). For example, if you sprain your ankle, your body immediately notifies you. As your body goes through the different phases of healing (inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling), the pain gradually subsides your your function returns.

In some cases, there can be compensations that occur after acute injuries. This is important to correct otherwise re-injury, or injuring other areas could occur when returning yo what you were doing previously.

1. Chronic Pain:

Chronic pain is generally more complicated and persists for longer periods of time (longer than 3 months). For example, your knee pain might be caused from your opposite hip being weak. Therefore, your hip is not contributing to functional movements enough, leading to your knee being overused and in an inflamed state. Chronic pain can also impact other areas of the body such as your immune system and general health.

The treatment for Chronic pain is no short-term plan and often requires a more intricate and comprehensive approach to understand what is causing the body to be in pain. Exercise has been a very important modality for treating chronic pain issues by ensuring the compensation patterns are addresses and corrected and the weakness and instabilities are improved.

Pain is a complex issue that can lead to significant discomfort, reduced quality of life, and decreased productivity. This raises an important question: “Are you moving poorly because you are in pain, or are you in pain because you are moving poorly?”

If you struggle with an Acute Injury and need to return to function again, OR if you have been struggling with Chronic Pain and need to understand how exercise can help, contact me on travis@tmkin.ca to set up an appointment to get your pain under control.