“Acute pain” means the pain is new. It often does not last a long time, usually only a few days to weeks. This type of pain acts as a warning signal of injury to your body.
Examples of causes for acute pain include:
- a recent surgery
- a broken bone
- a strained muscle
- a new cut, bruise, or burn
- an infected tooth
TREATMENT:
Treating acute pain is usually fairly simple. You may wish to:
- Rest your injury while it heals.
- Use ice, as needed.
- Apply compression (like a tensor bandage), if applicable.
- Elevate your injury to prevent swelling (like elevating a sore arm on a couple of pillows).
- Consider physiotherapy, especially if your injury is severe.
- Medications such as Tylenol or Advil (click the links for doses).
As your injury heals, it may be important to start getting active again, as tolerated. For example, lower back pain often gets better faster if people stay active and keep moving, as opposed to simply laying in bed or on the couch.