@askpaindoc: What exactly is 10/10 pain supposed to look like? Crying? Screaming? Unable to speak? Curled up in bed? What if the patient is sitting quietly? What if they’re smiling? What if they’re having a conversation or scrolling on their phone? None of those things, by themselves, tell you how much pain someone is experiencing. Pain is subjective, and there is no single facial expression, body position, or behavior that tells us whether someone’s pain is “really” a 10. This becomes especially important in chronic pain. People who have lived with severe pain for months or years often learn how to function through it, adapt to it, and sometimes hide it remarkably well. That doesn’t mean we stop evaluating the pain. It means we shouldn’t decide how severe someone’s experience is based solely on how they look while describing it. As a pain physician, my job isn’t to decide whether you look like you’re hurting enough. My job is to listen, understand what’s happening, evaluate why you’re hurting, look for concerning changes, and work with you on what comes next. You shouldn’t have to perform your pain for it to be taken seriously. #ChronicPain #PainManagement #InvisibleIllness #PatientAdvocacy #painmedicine

alice_is_grace :

The standard pain scales also don't work for chronic pain, practicioners should use a separate one

germy :

Pain is a feeling…science can’t test feelings

AskPainDoc :

What exactly is 10/10 pain supposed to look like? Crying? Screaming? Unable to speak? Curled up in bed? What if the patient is sitting quietly? What if they’re smiling? What if they’re having a conversation or scrolling on their phone? None of those things, by themselves, tell you how much pain someone is experiencing. Pain is subjective, and there is no single facial expression, body position, or behavior that tells us whether someone’s pain is “really” a 10. This becomes especially important in chronic pain. People who have lived with severe pain for months or years often learn how to function through it, adapt to it, and sometimes hide it remarkably well. That doesn’t mean we stop evaluating the pain. It means we shouldn’t decide how severe someone’s experience is based solely on how they look while describing it. As a pain physician, my job isn’t to decide whether you look like you’re hurting enough. My job is to listen, understand what’s happening, evaluate why you’re hurting, look for concerning changes, and work with you on what comes next. You shouldn’t have to perform your pain for it to be taken seriously.

🇨🇦🍒Keekee🍒🇨🇦 :

Stop using the scale. Focus on how the pain limits your patient.. It's that simple.

Questionbug :

pain to the point of losing consciousness. I say this from experience. I live in 9.5 out of 10. 9 with medication. When I had my accident i already had chronic pain. But it made my chronic pain from an 8 to a permanent 9.5. If I go into 10. I fall asleep basically. I remember getting transfered into the Hospital bed. The nurse asked my pain level. I said 10 and passed out. They gave me pain relief. But that was my worst pain. I still get that during flares and can't do anything or I'll pass out from pain. I survive each day in the hope one day of a cure. That day is almost here. But needs a clinical trial. I am contacting the researcher to put my name down. I'll try anything to get better.

Cindy :

Vomit and diarrhea often come with 10 out of 10

Cuteasapirate :

My son broke his leg last year. He had two complete spiral fractures of his tibia and fibia, and shattered the growth plate in his ankle. A nurse insisted he put his heel up on a chair to get it elevated. He waited three hours in the waiting room before they gave him Tylenol to ease the pain. He winced a few times when he moved, but other than that he was laughing at videos on his phone and joking with his dad and I. He was in pain, he probably experienced his first 10/10 but even the doctors he saw noted they were surprised at the extent of his injury because he was so relaxed about it.

Maria 🇸🇪 :

Is 10/10 the worst I have had or the worst I can imagine?

Miranda 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇫🇷 :

I don’t like the rating. It feels impossible to know the right answer. If you answer too low they think you’re not in significant pain. Too high, and you’re told you’re exaggerating and you’d be unconscious or unable to speak. 🤷🏻‍♀️

vanrhaagen :

i was straight up told its not a 6/10 because i was saying its more annoying than painful. 10 years ago, i wouldnt have said that. but 10 years is a hell of a long time to manage pain if you have to keep functioning without help.

Womanendo 🌸 :

Oh my goodness, this resonates so much 💔 It's so frustrating feeling like you have to *prove* your pain. I use the Endora app to log my symptoms daily, it helps me show my real pain levels 💛💝

Sharkie The Queer :

I'd say it usually looks like a patient telling us that their current pain is a 10/10 for them. Even if they aren't chronic pain havers if someone says they have 10/10 pain right now that is what they feel. Maybe they don't have pain ever so a broken bone feels like the worst pain they've experienced, the pain scale asks you to compare the pain to the worst pain you've ever felt, if a "little bit of pain" is their worst then yeah for them it is a 10.

🌸🐚🩷🎀 Noelle 🐚 🎀 🐾 :

germy :

The pain scale is the scam

ORIGIN 🤘🏼✨️ Nikki ♡ :

u cant scale pain TF

germy :

Pain doctors are knowingly scamming us

jennybfromb1ock :

💯

Misti :

❤️