Short-term Management of Acute Pain
Acute pain begins recently and may follow injury, surgery, dental disease or another illness. Relief should support recovery without masking a cause that needs direct treatment.
Key takeaways
- Location, onset, injury mechanism, severity and associated symptoms determine whether pain needs urgent investigation before analgesia.
- Using medicines with different mechanisms may reduce reliance on one drug, but duplicate ingredients and interactions must be avoided.
- NSAIDs can cause bleeding, kidney injury and cardiovascular complications; stronger or injectable does not mean safer.
Catalogue matches do not diagnose the cause of pain or define a safe personal analgesic plan.
What should be treated besides pain intensity?
Immobilisation, ice or heat, elevation, dental care or treatment of infection may address the source. Function, sleep and ability to breathe, move or eat are useful treatment outcomes alongside a pain score.
When might an NSAID be unsuitable?
Bleeding history, kidney disease, dehydration, anticoagulants, pregnancy and cardiovascular disease can alter NSAID safety. Ketorolac has restricted short-term roles and should not be combined casually with other NSAIDs. See pain management.
When to seek urgent care
Seek urgent care for chest pain, sudden severe headache, a rigid abdomen, major injury, new weakness or numbness, loss of bladder or bowel control, breathing difficulty, confusion or rapidly escalating pain.