Some types of pain result from a disease or accident. Other pain may linger or come back after treatment. Sometimes, pain results from treatments (such as pain after surgery). Some pain has no known cause. The types of pain include:

• Acute: This type of pain is sharp and often results from an injury. Acute pain gets better when providers treat the injury or disease that’s causing the pain. This type of pain can result from a bone fracture, muscle spasms, a burn or other kind of accident. Some illnesses and disorders, such as appendicitis and shingles, cause acute pain.
• Chronic: Providers call pain that lasts more than six months chronic pain. This type of pain can result from an untreated injury or disease. It can also result from conditions like arthritis, fibromyalgia or nerve damage (neuropathy). Low back pain is another type of chronic pain.
• Nociceptive: Nerve cell endings (nociceptors) send pain signals to your brain when you have an injury. Nociceptive pain happens when you break a bone, bump your head or pull a muscle. The pain can be sudden and short-lived or long-lasting. It can affect your internal organs (visceral pain) or your musculoskeletal system (somatic pain).
• Neuropathic: Problems with the nervous system cause neuropathic pain (nerve pain). It happens when nerves fire pain signals to the brain by mistake, even when they aren’t damaged. Diabetes, multiple sclerosis (MS) and HIV commonly cause this type of pain.