Many patients have complained that the 0 to 10 pain scale is too vague. The following is a scale with definitions that will henceforth be used by the National Foundation for the Treatment of Pain. Comments and suggestions are welcome.
Pain Scale
J.S.Hochman MD
5.14.2003
0 No pain
- Occasional pain effectively managed by
Aspirin, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, one tablet,
three times a day or less - or by opioids
with no limitations on activities of daily
living.
- Frequent pain, managed only by 1 or more
tablets of ASA, acetamenophen, ibuprofen,
every four hours - or by opioids with
slight impairments of actitivities of daily
living.
- Frequent pain, not effectively managed by
NSAIDs, requiring an opioid medication, but
not restricting daily activities of living
- Frequent pain, moderately affecting
activities of daily living, but still
controlled by opioids medications
- Frequent or almost constant pain. Contained
by opioids, but still causing significant
limitations on activities of daily living
and occasionally causing the patient to be
house or bed confined
- Constant pain, moderately contained by
opioids, but with frequent limitations of
activities of daily living. Frequently
causes confinement to bed or the house.
- Constant pain, only partially contained by
opioids at the doses prescribed, with
continuous limitation of activities of
daily living
- Constant pain, frequently disabling, making
most activities of daily living difficult
if at all possible
- Constant pain, uncontained by prescribed
medications and doses, completely disabling
of activities of daily living, requiring
interventions or assistance by others,
preventing any form of employment and fully
qualifying the patient for Social Security
Disability
- Intolerable pain requiring emergency room
treatment, generally with opioids
injections.
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