I found this pain scale and thought it was an accurate gauge for patients to assess their pain.

0 Pain Free No medication needed.

1 Very minor annoyance - occasional minor twinges. No medication needed.

2 Minor annoyance - occasional strong twinges. No medication needed.

3 Annoying enough to be distracting. Mild painkillers are effective. (Aspirin, Ibuprofen.)

4 Can be ignored if you are really involved in your work, but still distracting. Mild painkillers relieve pain for 3-4 hours.

5 Can't be ignored for more than 30 minutes. Mild painkillers reduce pain for 3-4 hours.

6 Can't be ignored for any length of time, but you can still go to work and participate in social activities. Stronger painkillers (Codeine, Vicodin) reduce pain for 3-4 hours.

7 Makes it difficult to concentrate, interferes with sleep You can still function with effort. Stronger painkillers are only partially effective. Strongest painkillers relieve pain (Oxycontin, Morphine)

8 Physical activity severely limited. You can read and converse with effort. Nausea and dizziness set in as factors of pain. Stronger painkillers are minimally effective. Strongest painkillers reduce pain for 3-4 hours.

9 Unable to speak. Crying out or moaning uncontrollably - near delirium. Strongest painkillers are only partially effective.

10 Unconscious. Pain makes you pass out. Strongest painkillers are only partially effective.

I experienced #10 on this scale prior to my fusion surgery where I passed out on the floor during the night while attempting to go to the washroom.

Wow this is perfect! I know exactly where I am when looking at this scale. Whenever I go to the doctor I alway say in between 5-7 but looking at it right now I am at an 8, but normally (during the day) I am at a 7. I have also experienced a 10...thanks for the scale! It's great, it will be much easier to keep track of my pain. Thanks!

Ash :wave:

Yes, thanks for this! It's so much better than those smiley/frowny faces and one or two word descriptions. I always wondered about the 10, because if it was unbearable, what would happen? Now I know - you pass out! Obviously, I've never experienced a 10.

I'm seeing that I'm pretty constant at a 6 and sometimes a 7 now. So even though it hurts a lot, I'm comforted to know that I'm not at a higher level.

Carole

GREAT INFORMATION! :bouncing:
They (doctor's & nurse's) are always asking you to "rate" your pain. But I've never seen or been given something to go by. This is PERFECT I had always praised myself for having a high tolerance for pain. However, that high tolerance has caused problems in the past. :nono: Example would be when I get a toothache and by the time I go to the dentist he can't believe I was able to tolerate it for so long. But it seems that by the time it (pain) bothers me, something serious is wrong. My primary knows when I show up at his office that something is defiantly wrong. Anyway, I think I'm pushing myself with this back stuff because I'm not monitoring my pain level properly. I have become more aware of my pain. But then I think sometimes I am to aware now. I notice EVERY little twinge in my back and legs. My problem is I don't want to be a seen as a complainer. That's why I love these message boards. I can get is all off my chest. :rolleyes: But I HAVE to get over this so I don't cause more damage. My pain level according to your "chart" floats around 5, 6, or 7. So when I get asked again what your pain level is from 1-10, I'll know how to respond. :)

Well everyone's pain tolerance is different.

For instance pain tolerance is not about being strong and stoic but more about how many morphine like substances (endorphins) that your brain happens to produce. Another words supposedly stoic people are most times not experiencing the same degree of pain. They simply don't feel it.

The longer that pain persists over time the more reduced those levels become and if fact chronic pain suffers do eventually suffer more because they no longer have the natural painfighters available.

I remember reading a study back a while that was done on women in labor. Some women were suffering greatly while others in hard labor were handling it just fine. When medication was given to block the natural endorphins pain levels in both groups became the same.

One group that is being studied in pain research is redheads. Redheads are better able to tolerate pain than the general population. The more we know about how pain works the more able we will be able to develop ways of helping sufferers.

So don't pin any medals on your chest because you really tolerate pain well and don't lash yourself with a wet noodle if you simply can't stand it anymore it may have more to do with your brain chemicals not your deficient character......lol Of course we all know those big sucks out there.....lol

Oh it hurts so much :o (and that is just my chapped lips!!!)

Pooby ;)

I think I need to rush out and buy some red hair dye :)
Pretty neat chart, thanks for sharing it. I can never relate to numbers because my 6 could be your 10. I find I rate pain by sounds instead, you know like strong pain would be this high pitched screeching noise that makes you want to scream out because your ear drums are going to bust where as dull pain would be a low thumping sound or that like a bass guitar.

Well earlier studies contradict the latest red hair study so don't get the dye out yet......lol

I figure if you have the strength to scream it isn't that bad yet.......lol

Hey but your scale is probably very accurate :confused: Probably would rate thumping pain as rap music :eek:

Good to laugh about something that is no laughing matter :p

Thanks Pooby,

I didn't quite know how to rate the pain based on the smiley face chart. Sometimes I would look at the chart and think to myself, well, I'm sure not smileing and, I'm not the one whose the worst, so I would just say 8.

Thanks for sharing, this is a explainable version of the pain scale, instead of guessing. I have printed this and will refer to this. Maybe, I will share with my Dr.'s and then he can relate better to what I'm saying.lol. Thanks again!!

Take care,
Bernie

That's a great pain scale!! By that, I'm between a 5-6 daily right now, and was an 8-9 before my surgery last july. I'm slowly inching closer to last july, though. :(

One group that is being studied in pain research is redheads. Redheads are better able to tolerate pain than the general population. The more we know about how pain works the more able we will be able to develop ways of helping sufferers.

I'm a redhead, natural redhead, and I would say that I do tolerate pain MUCH better than most people I know. Natural labor was easy and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Hi Pooby-
Not only is the scale a wonderful addtion to "1 if you have no pain and a 10 is the worst pain you can imagine" version I have been given frequently, the additional information you have provided about the biophysiology and biochemistry of pain and pain tolerance is a terrific education for me. I, too, struggle to drop some of the old ideas about pain (a weenie or a baby versus tough or strong) since I find they don't help my situation much at all. Many thanks - Suzy-Q

I know one thing for sure, since all of this started with my back; tolerance for pain does not seem to be as high as it once was. :eek: The scientific information on how we respond to pain is very interesting. Although I'm not a red head, I also found childbirth easy. At least the first one was, he can natural, the other two where (unplanned) c-sections. Now that (c-section) was painful. Anyway, I think what has happened to me lately is I don't want to seem like I'm being a cry baby :( but then I don't want to down play it either. When I first went to the neurosurgeon he was so persistent that I needed surgery. He said I had a, (and he stressed) VERY LARGE rupture. And I was like well yeah it hurts somewhat, but I didn't think it was that bad. He seemed surprised that is wasn't bothering more than it appeared. Well, I put off the surgery and now I may have permanent nerve damage. :nono: So I think they are on to something with the scientific explanation for pain tolerance. But now I feel like I feel every little pain. :eek: Who knows how the body & brain truly work? :confused: Again, thank you for the GREAT info!! :D