How do you measure pain???

[gomoho]

I have some friends that claim to have a very high pain tolerance. I don't understand how you could make that statement unless you have been involved in a scientific experiment that delivers an equal amount of pain to thousands of people and work with those numbers.

My twinge could be excrutiating for you and vice/versa. Often a doctor will ask you to rate your pain on a scale from 1-10, but I suppose that is so they will know how much medication you might need to relieve said pain. I certainly hope they aren't using that to determine the severity of your condition.

Put this out there for your input that may help me understand this more clearly. It's so awesome to be retired and have the time to think through these things!!!:read:

[msendo]

By using a pain scale of 0 to 10, your health care provider can set baselines and trends for your pain. It may be viewed as mild, moderate or severe. If you are prescribed a medication, you would then be reassessed at a reasonable amount of time to determine the effectiveness of the med. If your number stayed the same or went higher, then another action needs to be taken, possibly an increase in dose, or trying something else. If your number went down, then the med would be considered effective. It is important to be honest. One doesn't usually laugh and converse on the phone and and then consider their pain to be a 10. You "own " your number, and it shouldn't be compared to others as far as treatment is concerned.

As far as your friends considering themselves to have a high pain tolerance, they are probably comparing themselves to others, from what they have seen or heard.

[LndLocked]

by the number milligrams of ibuprofen that I have to take to make the pain stop ;-)

[asianthree]

after major post op surgery you use no pain meds....have d&c with no meds on board....you have a high pain tolerance

[CFrance]

By using a pain scale of 0 to 10, your health care provider can set baselines and trends for your pain. It may be viewed as mild, moderate or severe. If you are prescribed a medication, you would then be reassessed at a reasonable amount of time to determine the effectiveness of the med. If your number stayed the same or went higher, then another action needs to be taken, possibly an increase in dose, or trying something else. If your number went down, then the med would be considered effective. It is important to be honest. One doesn't usually laugh and converse on the phone and and then consider their pain to be a 10. You "own " your number, and it shouldn't be compared to others as far as treatment is concerned.

As far as your friends considering themselves to have a high pain tolerance, they are probably comparing themselves to others, from what they have seen or heard.

I have had dentists ask me why the heck I wasn't in excruciating pain due to the condition of a tooth. I guess they are comparing my pain to others with the same condition. Same thing with doctors and some injuries I've had. I guess I would say I have a high tolerance for pain from their observations. But I would say that I don't feel the pain as much as others. If it's painful to me, I don't have a high tolerance for it.

[Monkei]

I have some friends that claim to have a very high pain tolerance. I don't understand how you could make that statement unless you have been involved in a scientific experiment that delivers an equal amount of pain to thousands of people and work with those numbers.

My twinge could be excrutiating for you and vice/versa. Often a doctor will ask you to rate your pain on a scale from 1-10, but I suppose that is so they will know how much medication you might need to relieve said pain. I certainly hope they aren't using that to determine the severity of your condition.

Put this out there for your input that may help me understand this more clearly. It's so awesome to be retired and have the time to think through these things!!!:read:

When a disc grabs on to your sciatic nerve like a vise you will be qualified to give your pain a realistic number.

[msendo]

As you can see, we've all had our share of pain - be it mild or sever(according to only ourselves). Pain is subjective.

[gomoho]

As you can see, we've all had our share of pain - be it mild or sever(according to only ourselves). Pain is subjective.

My thinking exactly which I why I question someone who say's they have a high tolerance - how are they measuring it?

[Uptown Girl]

I can only measure or compare my pain from one personal occurrence to another, like a kidney stone vs. labor pain.... and large vs. small stone or easy/difficult labor circumstances could certainly make a difference in experience.

Often it is not my immediate tolerance, but extended tolerance that I rate. My body probably dumps endorphins into my system pretty quick, but cannot sustain them for long periods. I have rarely received pain meds during my ocasional 'adventures' until much time passed (none during childbirth) so that has given me a clue as to it's difficulty.

In the end, it is how well I can function during pain that is the biggest factor for me. I give in only as a last resort and that is not bravado or high tolerance, it is being a cement head.
If I can't accomplish the most basic of functions (like breathe, think or control my body) because of pain, then it's pretty bad.

[Cantwaittoarrive]

I broke a joint in my foot and continued to walk 5 + miles a day on it for 10 months before it was found on an x-ray. It was swollen for those 10 months and a small amount of pain was all I felt so I would assume I have a certain level of pain tolerance but if it's higher or lower than someone else who knows. I also years ago burned the entire back of my hand in the fireplace and never felt the pain and didn't realize I burned it until I bumped it on the wall the next day and investigated why I had water dripping off my fingers, turns out the blister caused by the burn popped. The blister was the width of the back of my hand and 3 inches or so wide. But when I go to the dentist every tooth in my mouth starts to hurt when I hear the drill so I really think it's all in your head.

[TrudyM]

My tolerance to pain has gotten higher as I have learned to ignore bearable pain as I have fibermyalgia. It's not that I don't feel it, its just that I try to ignore it as much as I can as the alternative is constant meds. The problem with that is that when I had a tooth that needed a root canal I didn't focus on it until it was in the I can't stand it range and had become a real problem. I sometimes think that men who pretend something doesn't hurt are in this category. It's not that they don't feel it, its just that they refuse to admit it.

[gomoho]

If I can't accomplish the most basic of functions (like breathe, think or control my body) because of pain, then it's pretty bad.


Uptown girl - insightful post - but, my question is how would we know the pain that prohibits you from accomplishing the most basic of functions wouldn't be a blip on someone else's radar screen? So you might say "what does it matter"? Doesn't matter it is just one of those things in life I'm trying to understand.

Unless there was a mechanism to deliver the same amount of pain to each individual and then measure a reaction there is no way to answer this question; however, if you went through labor with no meds you are of a very strong constition!

[CaptJohn]

I truly understand from first hand experience about the kidney stones but totally can't related to labor pains!
Kidney stones are an 11-20 on the scale of 1-10. Nobody can understand the pain involved. No effective meds I know of. You just suffer until they pass.




I can only measure or compare my pain from one personal occurrence to another, like a kidney stone vs. labor pain.... and large vs. small stone or easy/difficult labor circumstances could certainly make a difference in experience.

Often it is not my immediate tolerance, but extended tolerance that I rate. My body probably dumps endorphins into my system pretty quick, but cannot sustain them for long periods. I have rarely received pain meds during my ocasional 'adventures' until much time passed (none during childbirth) so that has given me a clue as to it's difficulty.

In the end, it is how well I can function during pain that is the biggest factor for me. I give in only as a last resort and that is not bravado or high tolerance, it is being a cement head.
If I can't accomplish the most basic of functions (like breathe, think or control my body) because of pain, then it's pretty bad.

[Mack184]

By using a pain scale of 0 to 10, your health care provider can set baselines and trends for your pain. It may be viewed as mild, moderate or severe. If you are prescribed a medication, you would then be reassessed at a reasonable amount of time to determine the effectiveness of the med. If your number stayed the same or went higher, then another action needs to be taken, possibly an increase in dose, or trying something else. If your number went down, then the med would be considered effective. It is important to be honest. One doesn't usually laugh and converse on the phone and and then consider their pain to be a 10. You "own " your number, and it shouldn't be compared to others as far as treatment is concerned.

As far as your friends considering themselves to have a high pain tolerance, they are probably comparing themselves to others, from what they have seen or heard.
My wife is an NP and has to ask that question a zillion times a day. The above is a good explanation of how it's supposed to work.

However..they usually ask you saying "Zero is no pain at all..and 10 is the worst pain you can imagine". Well...I can imagine a LOT. So You have to kind of look at it on your own PERSONAL basis, and if you're really hurting tell the Nurse, PA, NP or Doc. They don't want you to be in pain. Pain care is important in making all the rest of your care go smoothly.

[Uptown Girl]

[COLOR="Purple"]

Unless there was a mechanism to deliver the same amount of pain to each individual and then measure a reaction there is no way to answer this question;

It could be that pain receptors may not be as sensitive or functional from one person to the next. Same with the release of endorphins.

As one poster said, they had burned their hand significantly, did not realize and did not register pain.

We do know that stress plays significantly in brain function and there are many stories of people doing heroic things while not being aware they were gravely wounded, that defy everything we understand about the body.

It is an interesting quandary.

[ugotme]

In my humble opinion - the WORST pain iis the one that you currently have !

[2BNTV]

I think pain is subjective only to the person who is experiencing it. It would be nice if the same pain could be put into people, so these scales would be an effective barometer of measuring pain.

I have had pain in my teeth where the most nerves are, to be a tolerant pain whereas some people who not be able to tolerate. On a scale of 1 to 10, it was a 15.

I remember once being tretaed for a pain in my hip that was excrutiating as the doctor was unsympathic and it went on for nine months until he prescribed a medicine that did work. On a scale of 1 to 10, it was a 25.

All I know is the person who is experiencing the pain is the one who has the best barometer to how much it hurts. These scales the doctors give you is a joke in my opinion.

It is an interesting question as one person rating is a 5 may be another persons 10.

[looneycat]

pain can only be measured by personal experience. The idea that you can imagine the worst possible pain is bogus. I have been unfortunate enough to have experienced many forms of pain and several times thought I could imagine the worst possible only to experience something well beyond the last imagined worst. right now my 10 scale is somewhere beyond the pain of gangrene, which, for me, put kidney stone somewhere around a 4 or 5.

[rustyp]

I suggest you don't try to label pain level Vs the ailment. Pain is dependent on many factors. I'm a little kidney stone factory. I have had stones that were no more than a temporary annoyance right up to that's an 11 on a scale of 1-10.

[gomoho]

So in today's paper I read that doctors are using brain scans to "see" measure pain.

"Independent experts say the research shows a way to measure objectively what is now one of life's most subjective experiences."

I find this fascinating and hopefully a big step towards treating people with chronic or debilitating pain.

[marybb]

I have some friends that claim to have a very high pain tolerance. I don't understand how you could make that statement unless you have been involved in a scientific experiment that delivers an equal amount of pain to thousands of people and work with those numbers.

My twinge could be excrutiating for you and vice/versa. Often a doctor will ask you to rate your pain on a scale from 1-10, but I suppose that is so they will know how much medication you might need to relieve said pain. I certainly hope they aren't using that to determine the severity of your condition.

Put this out there for your input that may help me understand this more clearly. It's so awesome to be retired and have the time to think through these things!!!:read:

No two people experience pain the same way. The pain scale is to help in deciding if the pain medication they are giving you is controlling the pain. Adjustments may be needed. It is very important to report pain as soon as you start to feel uncomfortable, you will have better pain management that way.