Background & Aims

Background:
Acute pain, characterized by its sudden onset and limited duration, is a universal human experience. It serves as a vital warning signal, alerting individuals to potential tissue damage or injury and prompting protective behaviours. Despite its adaptive role, acute pain can significantly impact an individual’s physical and emotional well-being if not promptly addressed. Understanding the underlying mechanisms, causes, and consequences of acute pain is essential for developing effective management strategies and optimizing patient outcomes.

Aim:
The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of acute pain, encompassing its physiological mechanisms, common causes, and consequences if left untreated. By synthesizing current knowledge from multidisciplinary fields including neuroscience, pain medicine, and psychology, this review seeks to elucidate the complexities of acute pain and highlight the importance of a multimodal approach to pain management.

Methods

Literature Search: Comprehensive search across PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and Google Scholar for articles on acute pain using relevant keywords and MeSH terms.

Inclusion Criteria: Articles providing insights into acute pain’s mechanisms, etiology, consequences, or management. Included human and animal studies, and review articles in English.

Data Extraction: Two reviewers screened articles for relevance, extracted key data, and resolved discrepancies through discussion.

Synthesis: Data were thematically synthesized to address acute pain’s physiological aspects, causes, consequences, and management strategies.

Quality Assessment: Employed Cochrane’s tool for RCTs and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for observational studies to assess study quality.

Ethical Considerations: Adhered to ethical guidelines, ensured anonymity of data, and obtained no direct involvement of human subjects, hence no ethical approval was needed.

Results

Method:
Literature Search: Comprehensive search across PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and Google Scholar for articles on acute pain using relevant keywords and MeSH terms.
Inclusion Criteria: Articles providing insights into acute pain’s mechanisms, etiology, consequences, or management. Included human and animal studies, and review articles in English.
Data Extraction: Two reviewers screened articles for relevance, extracted key data, and resolved discrepancies through discussion.
Synthesis: Data were thematically synthesized to address acute pain’s physiological aspects, causes, consequences, and management strategies.
Quality Assessment: Employed Cochrane’s tool for RCTs and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for observational studies to assess study quality.
Ethical Considerations: Adhered to ethical guidelines, ensured anonymity of data, and obtained no direct involvement of human subjects, hence no ethical approval was needed.
Limitations: Potential biases including publication and language

Conclusions

Acute pain, driven by nociceptive pathways and neurotransmitter interactions, stems from various sources including trauma, surgery, and inflammation. Untreated, it can impair healing, trigger emotional distress, and disrupt daily life. Effective management involves a multimodal approach, combining pharmacological options like analgesics with non-pharmacological interventions such as physical therapy and psychological support. Holistic care addresses the physical, emotional, and social aspects of pain, ensuring optimal outcomes and improved quality of life for patients. Clinical practice should emphasize early assessment and personalized treatment plans, integrating evidence-based strategies to address the diverse needs of individuals experiencing acute pain. Ongoing research is crucial to further refine treatment approaches and enhance understanding of acute pain management.

References

1. Woolf CJ. Central sensitization: implications for the diagnosis and treatment of pain. Pain. 2011;152(3 Suppl):S2-S15. doi:10.1016/j.pain.2010.09.030

2. Treede RD, Rief W, Barke A, et al. Chronic pain as a symptom or a disease: the IASP Classification of Chronic Pain for the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). Pain. 2019;160(1):19-27. doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001384

3. Brennan TJ. Pathophysiology of postoperative pain. Pain. 2011;152(3 Suppl):S33-S40. doi:10.1016/j.pain.2010.10.025

4. Blyth FM, March LM, Brnabic AJ, et al. Chronic pain in Australia: a prevalence study. Pain. 2001;89(2-3):127-134. doi:10.1016/s0304-3959(00)00355-9

5. Chou R, Gordon DB, de Leon-Casasola OA, et al. Management of Postoperative Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American Pain Society, the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Committee on Regional Anesthesia, Executive Committee, and Administrative Council. J Pain. 2016;17(2):131-157. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2015.12.008

Presenting Author

Taiba Nafis

Poster Authors

Taiba Nafis

B.pharm , Mpharm

Abdul kalam Azad technical university

Lead Author

E-mail

Topics

  • Models: Acute Pain