Pain Management - What are the Different Types of Pain

What are Intensity, Duration, Location and Types of pain?

ARTICLE SUMMARY

Many techniques are available to control your loved one’s pain. The first step is to identify and quantify the pain, so you can track it. It may require help from you to collect information for the doctor, to make proper decisions about pain management for your loved one. A good doctor will listen to you and your loved one, be interested in and ask questions about this information.

So what is pain measurement?

Intensity may be the most important of these measurements. Is the pain moderate, severe, or incapacitating/ excruciating?
Pain scales are helpful, such as a 0 to 10 scale, with 10 being the worst pain ever experienced.
Duration of pain helps describe the length of the pain. Is it acute – or sudden?
Location of the pain, where the pain hurts can be helpful, but many times the location may not be specific.
Pain is what your loved one says it is – as they are experiencing it.
Types of pain include stabbing, shooting, throbbing, raw, aching, burning, tingling, pressure.

By tracking and writing down the measurements of pain described above, you can help your loved one quickly get onto an effective pain management program, so that their pain can be controlled. By quickly controlling pain, you can quickly make your dying loved one comfortable.

What are Intensity, Duration, Location and Types of pain?

FULL ARTICLE

Many techniques are available to control your loved one’s pain. The first step is to identify and quantify the pain, so you can track it. It may require help from you to collect information for the doctor, to make proper decisions about pain management for your loved one. You and your loved one should learn about pain intensity, location, duration and types, and provide this information to the doctor. A good doctor will listen to you and your loved one, be interested in and ask questions about this information.

Proper pain management requires measurements to aid the doctor in coming up with the right treatment plan. Intensity may be the most important of these measurements. Is the pain moderate, severe, or incapacitating/ excruciating? Pain scales are helpful, such as a 0 to 10 scale, with 10 being the worst pain ever experienced in your life. Some doctors will have their own scales to use, and you should find out about them.

Duration of pain helps describe the length of the pain. Is it acute – or sudden? Did something cause the pain – some physical activity or movement? Is the pain chronic, or long lasting? When did it begin, and how long has it lasted?

Location of the pain, where the pain hurts can be helpful, but many times the location may not be specific. Your loved one may not be able to pinpoint a location - but that does not mean that the pain is not real. The pain is what your loved one says it is – as they are experiencing it.

Types of pain include stabbing, shooting, throbbing, raw, aching, burning, tingling, pressure. Again, there is no right or wrong answer, encourage your loved one to describe the pain as best as he or she can. Then trust them, they know what they are talking about.

By tracking and writing down the measurements of pain described above, you can help your loved one quickly get onto an effective pain management program, so that their pain can be controlled. By quickly controlling pain, you can quickly make your dying loved one comfortable.