Information
Acute pain, as opposed to chronic pain, comes on sharply and quickly and lasts a short time, but can be severe. It is usually temporary, and is a result of a specific problem, such as experiencing surgery, sustaining a traumatic injury or specific and possibly undiagnosed medical disorders. It can be of a varied intensity; it may be mild and last for only a few moments, but it can also be severe and lasting for several months. However, it rarely lasts for more than 6 months. In some situations, the pain felt may be indicative of a disease or undiagnosed medical condition. It may also be indicative of tissue damage. This is the protective function of pain; many people only go for check-ups when they feel something. If unrelieved, acute pain can result into chronic pain, which lasts for more than 6 months. If ignored, the patient may be suffering from a more severe illness, ultimately resulting in the patient's death because the illness remains undiagnosed and untreated. Once these underlying conditions are treated, the acute pain and acute pain symptoms will go away.
Symptoms
Clinically speaking, for the condition itself, acute pain symptoms include increased heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate. Shallow respiration, agitation or restlessness, and splinting are also acute pain symptoms. Acute pain symptoms may also cause the patient to have difficulty concentrating and may also interfere with the patient's sleeping patterns. But since acute pain is usually a symptom of another condition, other than being a medical condition in itself, acute pain symptoms are often accompanied by others, such as chills, headaches, fever, muscle spasms or numbness. As an indicator of another medical condition, the previously mentioned symptoms should also be reported to the doctor when getting a check-up, in order to make the diagnosis as accurate as possible. When the acute pain is accompanied by other symptoms such as swelling, weakness or lethargy, bloody urine or stools, chest pains radiating to the arm, shoulder, neck or jaw, wheezing or shortness of breath, a fever higher than 101 degrees Fahrenheit, loss of bladder or bowel control, progressive weakness or numbness, and seizures, the patient must seek immediate medical care by calling 911. Along with the pain felt, these symptoms may indicate a life-threatening condition, such as a heart attack.
