| Pain scale designed by Andrea Mankoski, (c)1995, but right to copy with attribution is freely granted. This is the best pain scale I've seen to describe severity (though not necessarily quality) of pain. Remember, whenever a doctor asks you to rate your pain from 1 - 10, ask for a pain scale so you can be sure you're speaking the same language.
0 - Pain free
1 - Very minor annoyance - occasional minor twinges.
2 - Minor annoyance - occasional strong twinges.
3 - Annoying enough to be distracting.
4 - Can be ignored if you are really involved in your work, but still distracting.
5 - Can't be ignored for more than 30 minutes.
6 - Can't be ignored for any length of time, but you can still go to work and participate in social activities.
7 - Makes it difficult to concentrate, interferes with sleep You can still function with effort.
8 - Physical activity severely limited. You can
read and converse with effort. Nausea and
dizziness set in as factors of pain.
9 - Unable to speak. Crying out or moaning
uncontrollably - near delirium.
10 - Unconscious. Pain makes you pass out.
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