Talking about
Pain:
How
to Communicate More Effectively About It
Adapted from the
American Pain Foundation's "Pain Action Guide"
The
following will help your doctor understand and best decide on a
treatment plan.
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How much does the pain hurt?
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Use a scale from 0 to 10, where zero means no pain at all
and 10 means the worst pain you can imagine.
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Explain when your pain is the highest, lowest, and how it
is right now.
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Where does it hurt?
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Do you have pain in one place or several places?
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Does it seem to move around?
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What makes your pain better or worse?
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Is it always there?
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Does it go away?
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Does it get worse when you move in certain ways?
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Do other things make it better or worse?
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What's the pain like?
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Use specific words like sharp, stabbing, dull, aching,
burning, shock-like, tingling, throbbing, deep, pressing, etc.
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Inform about past treatments for pain and current
medications:
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Prescription medication
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Massage?
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Applied heat or cold?
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Exercised?
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Taken over-the-counter medications?
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Supplements?
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Does the pain affect your daily life?
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Can you sleep? Work? Exercise?
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Participate in social activities? Concentrate? Affect your
mood?
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Also see/print for use: Symptoms Checklist PAL
Remember: If you act quickly when pain
starts, you can often prevent it from getting worse.
(Pain Action Guide. American Pain
Foundation. 2001.)
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