Acute pain is usually caused by something we can identify, like an injury or surgery, and has an expected duration. Chronic pain differs in that it’s not always able to be traced back to an injury, illness, surgery, etc. It also lasts beyond the time that one might expect an injury or illness to take to heal (typically more than 3 months).
Most patients with chronic pain receive the majority of their care from their primary care provider, which is often a physician or nurse practitioner, sometimes supported by other professionals such as:
- Social workers
- Nurses
- Physiotherapists
- Chiropractors
- Massage therapists
The UHNBC Pain Clinic offers the following programs for their patients:
- Making sense of pain
- Gentle movement and relaxation
- Making peace with sleep
- Hydrotherapy
For more information see the Pain Clinic Education and Group programs pamphlet (PDF).
More information
- Patient resources for chronic pain (PDF) - Northern Health
- UHNBC pain clinic orientation (YouTube video) - Northern Health
For more information about the administrative team that supports the chronic disease services, see Regional Chronic Disease Program.