Acute pain starts suddenly and lasts a relatively short time. It is one of the ways the body has of alerting us to a problem, so we can stop what we are doing to minimize the damage. For example, if you try to lift an object that is too heavy or if you try to lift something the wrong way, you are likely to experience a sharp pain warning you to stop immediately.

Acute pain is usually a direct response to an injury or some sort of tissue damage, such as a cut, broken bone, or muscle strain. Once the underlying problem is treated, the pain generally goes away.

Acute pain may last a few minutes, a few weeks, or a few months. If it lasts longer than three months or if it continues once the underlying cause has been treated, it is reclassified as chronic pain.