Pain charts
In order to be able to assess how much pain their patients have, doctors have developed many types of pain charts.The simplest rating of pain is: mild - moderate – severe

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Also easy to use is a straight line, with the numbers from zero to ten on it. The patient can indicate by making a mark along the line how severe the pain is: zero is no pain, 10 is the worst pain imaginable. This method is also very useful to follow the progress of the pain: the patient makes a mark every six hours or so, which tells the doctor whether the pain therapy is beneficial or not.

Mild pain corresponds with a score of 0 to 3; moderate pain with a score of 4 to 6 and severe pain with a score of 7 to 10.

For children, a linear scale with smiley faces can be used:

Pain perception versus pain tolerance
Pain perception is the level at which a person starts finding a stimulus painful. The pain threshold is very similar for different people. For example, most people will experience pain if they touch an object which is hotter than 45 degrees Celsius.

Pain tolerance is more subjective. It varies greatly from person to person and in the same individual from one time to another.

Two people who undergo the same procedure may have very different experiences – for one the pain may be intolerable, for the other it may be experienced as merely uncomfortable. When a person is tired and irritated as a result of poor sleep, pain is less well tolerated.

An important part of postoperative pain relief is reassurance and comfort. It is a great help if medical staff can take time to empathise with a patient and offer TLC.

Read more:
Opioids: a pain solution?
A natural appoach to pms

Links:
Arthritis Foundation of South Africa
Multiple Sclerosis South Africa
The South African Society of Physiotherapy

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