Pain, unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage.
- Acute Pain: - This is pain that is temporary/ short-lived, and is considered to be the body’s way of caution and alert to seek assistance.
- Chronic Pain: - This can be defined as pain which recurs subsequent to the period in which an injury would have already repaired itself, and promptly speaking, exceeding a three month time frame.
The concept around chronic pain is that although it cannot directly be seen, only sensed, it does not make its prevalence or existence any less.
It has been found that within Australia, chronic pain is so frequent in that affects an estimated 20% of the populace, and to the extent that it’s monetary load on the community has been predicted to amount to a total of $34 billion dollars per year. It is also seen to arise throughout a lifetime, and can be seen as one the most evident indication of multiple health conditions. This could include cancer, abdominal pain, arthritis, headaches and one of the most common being back pain, resulting in the most frequent injury worldwide.
Pain Management Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine & Health, USyd
