I would think that many of us at one time or another have been in pain.

Child birth would be classified by most women as very painful. Broken bones are also painful but those are just a small example of the many times pain has been with us.

I recently heard someone say that if someone was hacking at their leg with a chainsaw , then that could be near the top of the pain scale.

I have often been asked by medical people (doctors and nurses) what level of pain I was in on a scale of 1 - 10.

Must admit I didn't know how to answer. What is the difference between a pain level of 5 and that of 7 ?

Also different people feel pain differently and would rate it on a different scale to what I might.

So I asked Mr Google and the following is what I found.

0  –  Pain free.

Mild Pain  – Nagging, annoying, but doesn't really interfere with daily living activities.

1  –  Pain is very mild, barely noticeable.  Most of the time you don't think about it.

2  –  Minor pain.  Annoying and may have occasional stronger twinges.

3  –  Pain is noticeable and distracting, however, you can get used to it and adapt.

Moderate Pain – Interferes significantly with daily living activities.

4  –  Moderate pain.  If you are deeply involved in an activity, it can be ignored for a period of time, but is still distracting.

5  –  Moderately strong pain.  It can't be ignored for more than a few minutes, but with effort you still can manage to work or participate in some social activities.

6  –  Moderately strong pain that interferes with normal daily activities.  Difficulty concentrating.

Severe Pain – Disabling; unable to perform daily living activities.

7  –  Severe pain that dominates your senses and significantly limits your ability to perform normal daily activities or maintain social relationships.  Interferes with sleep.

8  –  Intense pain.  Physical activity is severely limited.  Conversing requires great effort.  

9  –  Excruciating pain.  Unable to converse.  Crying out and/or moaning uncontrollably.

10 –  Unspeakable pain.  Bedridden and possibly delirious.  Very few people will ever experience this level of pain.

Have you ever been asked to rate your pain and how did you respond?