Pain is categorized in several ways. Sometimes it is described by the type of body structure that causes the pain—such as muscle pain or nerve pain. When dealing with back and neck pain, one of the most common ways of categorizing the pain is by how long it lasts—this determines whether it is acute pain or chronic pain.

Categorizing pain is important, because it helps doctors determine the best way of treating pain. A treatment that works on one type of pain will not necessarily be appropriate for another type of pain. So the first step in any treatment plan is to determine what type of pain you are dealing with.