What is Pain?

The Chronic Pain Information Network
Your Internet resource for information relating to chronic pain

What is Chronic Pain?

The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines pain as:

Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage. Pain is suffering and it is familiar to everyone, and yet, pain is so complex and subjective, it cannot be easily described or treated.

Pain can be divided into two main types

Acute Pain Chronic Pain (3 sub-types)

Temporary

The result of injury

Disappears when injury is healed

Non-malignant pain (does not get worse over time).

Intermittent pain. (comes and goes.)

Malignant pain (gets worse over time).

Our focus at CPIN is on malignant pain. However, you may find the information on our website to be useful in coping with any type of pain.

This page was updated on {{PUBLISH AUTO[[Date]]}}: ©opyright Chronic Pain Information Network, a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation. We make this information available so that patients, practitioners, and friends may understand chronic pain, make informed decisions about treatments, and find ways to cope with chronic pain. You may contact Chronic Pain Information Network by e-mail. This site is maintained by InfoMaster

Acute Pain	Chronic Pain (3 sub-types)
Temporary The result of injury Disappears when injury is healed	Non-malignant pain (does not get worse over time). Intermittent pain. (comes and goes.) Malignant pain (gets worse over time).