Pain, pain management, pain treatment, and pain relief are among the most frequent reasons we seek healthcare. This may be back pain, neck pain, or knee pain, or perhaps the pain of a heart attack, the joy-filled pain of labor, or even the pain of appendicitis. Pain from events such as these and numerous others force us into the healthcare system asking for assistance. Back pain is the number two reason to miss work in the U.S., second only to colds.

What is Pain?
The International Association for the Study of Pain has defined “pain” as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.” This definition reflects the fact that pain is a result of tissue damage, for example, when skin is lacerated or a bone broken.

This definition also indicates that pain may be the result of an unpleasant emotional experience in the absence of tissue damage. We all know this to be true as we find ourselves tolerating injury differently depending on our emotional well- being. If you are feeling well, the pain of a sprained ankle is far more tolerable, less painful, than a sprained ankle occurring at the funeral of a close friend or family member. The key concept to understand when discussing or considering the topic of pain is imprecision. There is no objective way anyone can assess the magnitude of someone else’s suffering.

Differing Experiences of Pain
Different cultures and different genders tolerate and accept and will manifest pain differently. There is no device that allows someone else to assess the magnitude of pain of your pain. This is readily apparent to parents who try to guess whether their infant is crying because of pain, hunger, or a wet diaper.

The manifestation of all three is the same. Some people manifest their pain as facial grimacing, others through descriptive words; while still others withdraw, say nothing, or isolate themselves. Bottom line: no one can say with any certainty that the pain of one person is lesser or greater than the pain of another.

Measuring Pain
Because the experience of pain is so difficult to measure and describe, methods of assessing pain are understandably – if frustratingly – imprecise as well.

Presently, some doctors may attempt to gauge pain by a verbal pain score, ranging from zero (no pain) to 10 (worst possible pain imaginable). Other medical providers use a series of facial expressions or “similar to” measurements to determine level of pain, and potential pain treatment or pain relief measures. However, the reality is that when it comes to pain assessment, pain treatment, and pain relief, we still unfortunately do not yet have a reliable method for assessing – and describing – the pain we’re experiencing.

Next: Do You Have Acute Pain or Chronic Pain?