How do doctors know how high your pain level is?

Question

How do they know what level of pain you're at on the Pain Scale?

I think I reached a 4 just now

Answer 1

They only know what you tell them

Answer 2

they ask you, on a scale of 0-10 what is your pain level.
0 is no pain
1 is agonizing
2 is cramping
3 is distresing
4 is gnawing
5 is dreadful
6 is excruciating
7 is horrible
8 is hot-burning
9 is stabbing
10 is sharp

they also use faces for children to point to how they are feeling

**flavor f* i'm scared to think what kind of ER you have ever been to but unless you are unresponsive they should ask you what your pain level is.
and it doesn't matter if you say your pain is a 1 or a 10, people get seen in an order of priority.... meaning if you have 3 traumas come in everyone gets bumped back...all the labs, all the CT scans....EVERYONE GETS BUMPED! not only that, people go to all different area's, the minor people that don't belong in the ER (the toe pain and the splinters and the stitches and the sprains go to fast track) and the ones that need complete work ups go to other area's. so yes you may sit in the ER for 4-5 hours, my advice...don't go to ER on a Monday or Thursday night unless you are dying and use the urgent care facilities for minor things. Also don't come to the ER when its raining or snowing, Best time to come is really late at night or really early in the morning.

Answer 3

Believe it or not, that pain scale was developed by doctors for use. Personally I think they pretty much have studied for their profession a lot longer than any of us lay people have. So as far as "knowing" what kind of pain you are in when you say "4" I am sure they have a pretty good understanding. I work in mental health and we see patients constantly who claim "10" pain when they are in the office talking to the doc. I think "10" pain being the highest possible number should mean you are in the hospital, unable to walk, and in extreme, excruciating pain...but some people see it in other ways due to their own perceptions. Doctors also have what they call Waddell signs they test for when someone inadvertently claims a higher pain level maybe because they are really crying for help. I hope this helps you with understanding, and I pray you get some help in relieving that pain.

Answer 4

They don't. And the stupid pain scale is completely subjective. A 10 is "the worst pain you can imagine" well I have a chronic pain disorder....so my 10 is probably a lot higher than someone who's never been seriously injured or in pain. Even when you use it based on the activity level it's still subjective. After about 5 years of chronic pain you can do more while in higher pain than a "normal" person.
Oh and BTW they use that smiley face scale untill you're 18...it's completely degrading.

Answer 5

I'm a hospital nurse, and I hate that pain scale. One person's 3 could be another person's 8. I've seen patients on a daily basis sturggle to put a "number value" to their pain. I can't do it.
We medicate partially based on that they say, and partly by how they act. That "3" might be in so much pain that they can barely get out of bed.
There is the protocol that "pain is whatever the patient says it is."
Personally, I think a better "scale" would be: No pain - A little pain - A moderate amount of pain - and Bad pain. Those things they understand.
Lots of us use the number scale in our charting because we have to chart a number, but, we adapt what the patient says to how they act. I won't undermedicate my patient when they "lowball" their pain "number." Nurses are supposed to be patient advocates - that's when nursing judgement comes into place. And nursing judgement comes from years of experience taking care of patients in pain.

Answer 6

Doctors actually find out how high you are on the pain scale by asking you. They'll give you some guidelines based on your level you can function with the pain, etc. (Such as # means too painful to walk, # means mild discomfort but full functionality)

Answer 7

They need to get to know you as a patient. That has been an issue for me, and people I've known when hospital staff didn't take the pain seriously enough, and found later that there was a fracture. Once this involved a broken back, and they said my friend wasn't reacting enough for them to think it was so bad.
(You know he is a tough dude to freak out an emergency room doctor.)
It's a matter of experience and judgment mostly.

Answer 8

They usually have a set of needles made from different gauges of tubing, ranging from skinny like a hair to thick like a horse needle. They poke you with each one in turn and see which size gets a major reaction from you. Then they just read the number from that needle.

Answer 9

well when i had surgury they showed me 10 pics of a person crying and how bad they were crying they were all on a scale from 1-10 and u had to pick one

Answer 10

they dont..... they just evaluate you..... thats the first thing they ask you in the emergency room 8-10 you get looked at right away 1-4 about 1/2 hour wait

Answer 11

by you telling them or by the way you act. Blood pressure and pulse could be another indicator.