Acute Pain Acute Pain Pain is acute when it is accompanies tissue injury or pathology. Pain following surgery, pain associated with athletic injury, and the occasional headache are all examples of acute pain.
Acute pain is a common experience.
About 29 million Americans had surgery that year. Unrelieved acute pain following surgery can lead to complications or even death. It delays the return of normal gastric and bowel function. For very frail patients, those undergoing high risk procedures and the very old or very young, pain represents a risk for morbidity and mortality.