Health professionals use different terms for different types of pain.

• Short-term pain, such as when you suffer a sprained ankle, is called 'acute' pain.
• Long-term pain, such as back pain that persists for months or years, is called 'chronic' pain.
• Pain that comes and goes, like a headache, is called ‘recurrent’ pain.

It is not unusual to have more than one sort of pain or to have pain in several places.

Many acute pains are a useful alarm signal that something is wrong. Most minor pains get better on their own or with simple treatment. Others may be a sign of something more serious, as with a broken leg. This pain is helpful because it means that you get treatment and rest your leg until the break has had a chance to heal. Long-term pain, on the other hand, appears to serve no useful purpose and has a huge impact on the lives of many people.