Pain Scales

It is currently impossible to objectively measure pain.

At the same time, sometimes we need to know how much something hurts to guide treatment.

Humans have come up with a lot of pain scales, and here are some of the ones I've tripped over.

The generic pain scale

A 0-10 scale of pain in a rainbow where the top of the scale (10) is in a dark red and the bottom of the scale (0) is light blue.

From bottom to top, the levels are:

• 0. no pain. I have no pain
• 1. Minimal. My pain is hardly noticeable.
• 2. Mild. I have a low level of pain. I am aware of my pain only when I pay attention to it.
• 3. Uncomfortable. My pain bothers me but I can ignore it most of the time.
• 4. Moderate. I am constantly aware of my pain but I can continue most activities.
• 5. Distracting. I think about my pain most of the time. I cannot do some of the activities I need to do each day because of the pain.
• 6. Distressing. I think about my pain all of the time. I give up many activities because of my pain.
• 7. Unmanageable. I am in pain all of the time. I give up many activities because of my pain.
• 8. Intense. My pain is so severe that it is hard to think of anything else. Talking and listening are difficult.
• 9. Severe. My pain is all that I can think about. I can barely talk or move because of the pain.
• 10. Unable to move. I am in bed and can't move due to my pain. I need someone to take me to the emergency room to get help for my pain.

Another basic pain scale

A 0-10 scale of pain using 6 smilie faces in a row. Above the faces it says choose the face that best describes how you feel. The faces are drawn in blue and there are no background colors inside the faces.

From left to right, the levels are:

• 0. No hurt. The face is smiling broadly.
• 2. Hurts little bit. The face is smiling, but less broadly.
• 4. Hurts little more. the face is no longer smiling and the mouth is in a straight line. The eyebrows are up as if concerned.
• 6. Hurts even more. The eyebrows are in a sad position and the mouth is slightly frowning.
• 8. Hurts whole lot. The face is frowning and the eyes are drooping with distress.
• 10. Hurts worst. The frown is very deep and the face is sobbing with visible tears going down the cheeks.