Acute pain will last for a brief period of time and disappear after the underlying cause is addressed. Chronic pain is defined as pain that does not go away and has been present over most dates of the week for at minimum three months. There's a chance that investigations and tests won't identify a reason for the pain. This isn't to say that chronic pain doesn't exist. It's possible that the neurological system, which transmits pain signals, has become overly sensitive. The discomfort has become a persistent issue, regardless of how it began.