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.
-
How much does the pain hurt?
-
Use a scale from 0 to 10, where zero means no pain at all
and 10 means the worst pain you can imagine.
-
Explain when your pain is the highest, lowest, and how it
is right now.
-
Where does it hurt?
-
Do you have pain in one place or several places?
-
Does it seem to move around?
-
What makes your pain better or worse?
-
Is it always there?
-
Does it go away?
-
Does it get worse when you move in certain ways?
-
Do other things make it better or worse?
-
What's the pain like?
-
Use specific words like sharp, stabbing, dull, aching,
burning, shock-like, tingling, throbbing, deep, pressing, etc.
-
Inform about past treatments for pain and current
medications:
-
Prescription medication
-
Massage?
-
Applied heat or cold?
-
Exercised?
-
Taken over-the-counter medications?
-
Supplements?
-
Does the pain affect your daily life?
-
Can you sleep? Work? Exercise?
-
Participate in social activities? Concentrate? Affect your
mood?
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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