Pain can affect your body and your ability to live your life the way you want; however, not all pain is the same. Some pain goes away with time and treatment and is known as acute pain. On the other hand, chronic pain sticks around even after the injury has healed.
If you’re wondering what kind of pain you’re experiencing, this guide will help you have a better understanding of acute vs. chronic pain, their differences, and what you can do to manage physical and mental symptoms.
What is Acute Pain?
Acute pain is your body’s immediate response to an injury or illness. It’s a warning signal alerting you that something is wrong and needs attention. This type of pain has a clear cause, like a broken bone or burn, and it should go away once the underlying issue is treated.
Types of Acute Pain
Acute pain can look differently depending on the cause. Common examples include:
- Postoperative pain after surgery
- Sprains, strains, or fractures from accidents or falls
- Infections like toothaches or sinusitis
- Labor and childbirth
What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain lasts longer than a typical healing period. By definition, pain is chronic if it lasts for three months or longer, and finding a clear cause or explanation might be difficult. According to the CDC, almost 51.6 million adults in the U.S. experienced chronic pain in 2021, and 17.1 million had high-impact chronic pain that interfered with day-to-day tasks.
Types of Chronic Pain
There are several types of chronic pain, including:
- Neuropathic pain, like sciatica
- Musculoskeletal pain from arthritis or back pain
- Centralized pain, such as fibromyalgia
- Chronic migraine
How Chronic and Acute Pain Affect the Brain
Pain may seem like it’s all in the body, but it can actually be traced back to your brain. Recent research shows that in acute pain, certain brain cells reduce their activity to limit how many pain signals are sent. This is your body’s natural way of regulating pain while it heals.
However, in chronic pain, that internal system stops working. The neurons stay overactive and continue firing, which may explain why this type of pain lasts long-term. This difference in how the brain processes pain can make chronic pain harder to treat because it involves not just the injury, but also the brain’s adaptability to keep the pain going.
How Does Pain Affect Mental Health?
Living with pain everyday can change how you think, feel, and move through the world. Specifically, chronic pain can keep you from working at your full capacity or enjoying things you once looked forward to.
According to one study, 1 in 20 adults experience chronic pain and symptoms of anxiety or depression. Those with chronic pain are also five times more likely to have untreated mental health symptoms than those without it. Here’s how pain might affect your mental health:
- It disrupts your sleep.
- It reduces mobility or physical activity.
- It results in a loss of independence.
- It contributes to chronic stress and emotional exhaustion.
- It increases feelings of isolation, frustration, or fear.
Pain activates parts of the brain responsible for emotions (like the insula and anterior cingulate cortex), which is why it’s frequently linked to anger, sadness, and anxiety. As stress builds, your nervous system stays on high alert, interfering with mood stability and pain levels.
Can Mental Health Make Pain Worse?
Yes. Mental health not only responds to pain, but it can also influence it. Studies show that anxiety and depression can lower your pain threshold so you feel pain more intensely than someone without those symptoms.
In fact, it’s estimated that about one-third of people with chronic pain have a psychological component contributing to their symptoms. Essentially, conditions like stress or trauma can amplify physical discomfort or even cause pain without a clear injury.
How to Manage Pain and Mental Health Together
To be effective, pain management should encompass the physical and emotional symptoms of pain. When either one is left untreated, the other can get worse. Treatments may include:
- Physical therapy to improve mobility and reduce tension
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP) to tackle negative thoughts, emotional stress, and unhealthy behaviors toward pain
- Relaxation techniques, including breathwork and progressive muscle relaxation
- Mindfulness to calm the nervous system’s stress response
- Medication to treat both pain and mental health symptoms
- Support groups or counseling to prevent isolation and to learn helpful coping skills
CBT-CP, in particular, has been shown to be effective in altering unhealthy thinking patterns, negative emotions, muscle tension, coping behaviors like isolation or avoidance, and general habits, like sleep and nutrition.
Another technique to try is something called pacing. Pacing is when you alternate periods of activity with planned rest breaks rather than doing too much at once on days when pain feels more manageable. This will help prevent you from repeating the pain cycle over and over again, as this can make your pain and mental stability worse.
Is Pain Affecting Your Mental Health? Talk to a Doctor.
Pain can make you feel isolated, especially if it starts to affect your mental health. If you’re feeling anxious or depressed because of ongoing pain, understand that you are not alone.
At Cura Behavioral Health, we offer evidence-based therapies and medication management for those living with chronic pain and related mental health conditions. No matter where you are in your health journey, our compassionate team is here to help. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and explore your options.
Sources:
- Chronic Pain Among Adults — United States, 2019–2021 – CDC
- New brain study explains why some pain becomes chronic – Medical Life Sciences News
- Study finds large gaps in mental health care for people with chronic pain – The University of Arizona Health Sciences
- The anatomy of pain and suffering in the brain and its clinical implications – Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
- Arthritis and Mental Health – Arthritis Foundation
- Psychogenic Pain: The Role of Mind and Emotions in Chronic Pain Management – Acute and Chronic Disease Reports
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – University of California San Francisco
- Activity Pacing – VA
