At Renew Wellness, we believe that understanding your pain is the first step toward healing. Pain is a signal from your body telling you that something is wrong.
But not all pain is the same. Understanding the different types of pain is crucial for finding the right treatment and moving toward recovery.
In this blog, we’ll explain the main categories of pain, including acute, chronic, and neuropathic pain, so you can better understand what your body may be telling you.
Acute pain is your body’s immediate alarm system. It’s a sharp, intense, and usually temporary response to a specific injury or illness, like a sprained ankle, surgery, or a cut. It’s your body’s way of telling you to stop what you’re doing and seek help or rest.
Chronic pain lasts for more than three to six months, persisting long after the initial injury has healed. It becomes a condition in its own right. It can result from an ongoing condition like arthritis or an injury that didn’t heal properly. It can change the way the nervous system processes pain signals, making it a complex condition to manage.
Neuropathic pain originates from damage or dysfunction in the nerves themselves, rather than from a specific injury to muscles, bones, or tissues. It’s a dysfunction of the nervous system.
Chronic pain and neuropathic pain often overlap. For example, a herniated disc (chronic back pain) can put pressure on a nerve root, causing radiculopathy—a type of neuropathic pain that radiates down a limb.
The first step to effective treatment is an accurate diagnosis. Our physiotherapists are experts in musculoskeletal pain and can help determine the type and source of your pain, whether it's acute, chronic, neuropathic, or a combination.
Our approach is to identify the type of pain and its root cause. A thorough assessment involving your medical history and a physical exam helps us create a personalized treatment plan. This plan may include:
Pain doesn't have to be a life sentence. By understanding what type of pain you’re experiencing, you and your therapist can tackle it more effectively. Pain is not just a symptom; it's a message.
At Renew Wellness, we treat the whole person, not just the symptom. Our expert physiotherapists will work with you to create a personalized plan to manage pain and restore your function.