Acute and Persistent pain are now being recognised as different; representing changes in neural adaptation to nociception.
Most patients have long-standing experience of acute pain acquired since childhood and may implement strategies based upon this experience when faced with persistent pain of either malignant or non-malignant origin.
Management of Chronic Non-Malignant Pain is increasingly based upon providing patients with an understanding of these differences to enhance self-management strategies.
The author will argue that patients experiencing Chronic Malignant Pain would benefit from a similar educational foundation.