The Pain Scale

Everyone seems to experience pain uniquely.
Some patients have health issues that should cause significant pain, but it doesn’t.
On the other hand, some people have no indication of any physical problems, but they are in great pain without knowing why.

The level of pain you experience can’t be evaluated in an objective examination or analysis.

To address this problem, doctors use a pain scale to get a solid understanding of a person’s level of pain.

Below is a common type that shows a range of numbered picture faces from 0 (smiling and no pain) to 10 (great pain.)

A physician would ask a patient which face equaled the level of pain they are experiencing.