Patients report pain as being the most difficult part of having acute and chronic wounds. Pain in acute wounds, as a result of injury or surgery, is known to interfere with wound healing. Poorly managed acute pain can result in chronic post-surgical pain. Pain assessment is an essential part of acute wound management and requires the healthcare professional to establish the location and type of pain the patient is experiencing. It also needs to include a ‘pain conversation’ to help guide healthcare professionals to the appropriate, holistic approach when managing acute pain. The article describes some of the validated pain assessment/ measurement tools available and why an appropriate selection of pain assessment tools is the responsibility of the multidisciplinary team when managing patients with acute wounds.