Pain can be difficult for the patient to cope with and the clinician to monitor. A rating system allows for semi-quantitation, which can be used over time to assess the adequacy of treatment and the progression of a patient's condition.
|
Pain Parameter |
Finding |
Rating |
|
severity of pain |
no pain reported |
0 |
|
|
only discomfort |
1 |
|
|
mild pain |
2 |
|
|
moderate pain |
3 |
|
|
severe pain |
4 |
|
frequency of pain |
no pain reported |
0 |
|
|
rarely has pain |
1 |
|
|
pain occurs one to several times per month |
2 |
|
|
pain occurs one to several times per week |
3 |
|
|
pain occurs one to several times per day |
4 |
|
duration of pain |
no pain reported |
0 |
|
|
pain rarely lasts more than a few minutes |
1 |
|
|
pain lasts minutes to hours |
2 |
|
|
pain lasts all day |
3 |
|
|
continuous |
4 |
|
pain medication requirement |
takes no pain medicines |
0 |
|
|
needs only aspirin or Tylenol |
1 |
|
|
needs narcotic one to several times per month |
2 |
|
|
needs narcotic one to several times per week |
3 |
|
|
needs narcotic every day |
4 |
Interpretation:
• minimum score 0
• maximum score 16
• The higher the score the more significant the pain.
• The assessment may be difficult to interpret if the data is conflicting (for example, the patient reports no pain present but uses a narcotic several times a day).
One possible (unpublished, unassessed) grading scheme using score:
|
Total Score |
Disability |
|
<= 2 |
none or not significant |
|
3 or 4 |
minimal |
|
5 or 7 |
mild |
|
8 to 9 |
mild to moderate |
|
10 to 12 |
moderate |
|
13 or 14 |
moderate to severe |
|
15 or 16 |
severe |
Purpose: To quantitate pain by rating its qualities, which can be useful in assessing response to therapy over time.
Specialty: Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation
Objective: severity, prognosis, stage
ICD-10: R52,
