Acute vs. Chronic Pain: When to See a Pain Specialist? Ultimate 2026 Guide

Pain is your body’s alarm system. It tells you when you’ve stepped on a LEGO brick or touched a hot stove. But what happens when the alarm doesn’t shut off?

At Apollo Medical Centre, we often see patients who have been “living with it” for months, assuming their pain will just disappear. As an anesthesiologist and pain specialist, my goal is to help you understand what your body is saying. Today, we are breaking down the critical difference between Acute Pain and Chronic Pain, and exactly when it is time to seek expert help.

Acute pain is a normal, protective response to an injury or illness. It starts suddenly and usually feels sharp. It serves a specific purpose: it warns you that your body has been damaged.

• Cause: Specific injury (broken bone, surgery, dental work, burns, or cuts).
• Duration: Lasts less than 3 to 6 months.
• Outcome: It disappears once the underlying cause heals.

Dr. Purohithi’s Insight:

“Think of acute pain like a fire alarm. Once the fire (the injury) is put out, the alarm stops ringing. Standard medical care or simple rest usually resolves this.”

Chronic pain is different. It persists for weeks, months, or even years—long past the normal healing time of an injury. In this state, pain is no longer a symptom; it becomes a disease in itself.

• Cause: Can be ongoing (like arthritis or cancer) or the result of “sensitized” nerves that keep firing pain signals even after the injury has healed (neuropathy).
• Duration: Lasts more than 3 to 6 months.
• Outcome: It affects your sleep, mental health, and daily life. It rarely disappears without specialized Interventional Pain Management.

Dr. Purohithi’s Insight:

“With chronic pain, the fire is out, but the alarm keeps ringing. This is where general painkillers fail and where a specialist is needed to ‘reset’ the system.”

Many patients delay treatment, hoping the pain will fade. However, delaying treatment for chronic pain can make the nerves “learn” the pain, making it harder to treat later.

You should book an appointment with Dr. Purohithi at Apollo Medical Centre if:

1. The Time Rule: Your pain has lasted more than 3 months.
2. The Radiation Rule: You feel shooting, burning, or “electric” shocks traveling down your arms or legs (Radiculopathy/Sciatica).
3. The Function Rule: You can no longer perform daily tasks (cooking, walking, working) because of stiffness or discomfort.
4. The Sleep Rule: Pain wakes you up at night or prevents you from falling asleep.
5. The “Nothing Works” Rule: You have tried physiotherapy and over-the-counter medicines, but the relief never lasts.

Pain management is not just about prescribing pills. It requires precision.

Dr. P. Purohithi is a verified Anesthesiologist with specialized Fellowship training in Pain Management. With over 8 years of experience, she moves beyond basic medication to offer Interventional Pain Management.

At Apollo Medical Centre, we don’t guess; we verify. Dr. Purohithi utilizes state-of-the-art technology to target the exact source of your pain:

• High-Frequency Ultrasound: Allows real-time visualization of nerves and muscles for precise injections without radiation.
• C-Arm Fluoroscopy: Provides X-ray guidance for deep spine procedures, ensuring safety and accuracy.

Whether it is back pain, frozen shoulder, migraines, or nerve pain, our goal is simple: to ensure a pain-free life for our patients.

To truly understand why your pain won’t go away, we need to look at the nervous system. In my practice at Apollo Medical Centre, patients often ask, “The injury was months ago, why does it still hurt?” The answer lies in a process called Central Sensitization.

Imagine your nervous system is a computer. Acute pain is a simple input command: “Damage detected $\rightarrow$ Send Pain Signal.” Once the damage is fixed, the input stops.

However, in chronic pain, the “software” gets corrupted. The nerves in your spinal cord undergo a phenomenon known as “Wind-Up.” They remain in a state of high reactivity, lowering their threshold for firing. This means that even non-painful stimuli—like a light touch or simple movement—can be interpreted by your brain as severe pain. This condition, known as Allodynia, is a hallmark of chronic pain conditions like Fibromyalgia and CRPS.

Dr. Purohithi’s Medical Note:

“When Central Sensitization occurs, treating the original injury isn’t enough because the pain has moved ‘upstream’ to the central nervous system. This is why standard painkillers (NSAIDs) often fail—they treat inflammation, not the nervous system dysfunction. This is where Interventional Pain Management becomes essential.”

Chronic pain is never “just physical.” It is a bio-psycho-social condition. Research shows that over 50% of chronic pain patients eventually develop anxiety or depression. This isn’t because you are “weak”; it is a physiological response.

Pain depletes the brain’s supply of serotonin and norepinephrine—the exact same chemicals that regulate your mood. As these levels drop, you feel more anxious and depressed. Unfortunately, depression lowers your body’s natural tolerance to pain, making the physical sensation feel even worse. We call this the Vicious Cycle of Pain.

At Apollo Medical Centre, we don’t just treat the spine or the joint; we treat the person. By breaking the physical pain cycle with targeted interventions (like nerve blocks), we often see an immediate improvement in a patient’s mental outlook. When the pain stops, the brain can finally rest, sleep improves, and the anxiety lifts.

Don’t let chronic pain define your life. If your “alarm” is still ringing after 3 months, it’s time to fix the switch, not just cover your ears.

Need expert advice?

Visit Dr. Purohithi at Apollo Medical Centre for a comprehensive diagnostic work-up and a personalized pain management plan.