I found this scale in a book titled "The Pain Relief Handbook" and I think it is an important tool to share with you. This pain scale is similar to many you may have already filled out at various appointments.
Use the indicator scale to help measure your pain and how you are coping with it. As your coping skills improve, so should your pain scores.
Take a look at the following questions and answer as honestly as you can. When you are done, give your answers a score according to the instructions. Repeat these questions at least once a month to measure your pain and compare.
When you compare your answers ask yourself...
Be honest with yourself when you answer the following questions. Help is out there but if you aren't honest, you aren't likely to get the help you need.
Use the indicator scale to help measure your pain and how you are coping with it. As your coping skills improve, so should your pain scores.
Take a look at the following questions and answer as honestly as you can. When you are done, give your answers a score according to the instructions. Repeat these questions at least once a month to measure your pain and compare.
When you compare your answers ask yourself...
- What do you notice about your scores?
- Are there steps you can take to improve how you are coping with your pain?
- What supports do you need to help you achieve this goal?
Be honest with yourself when you answer the following questions. Help is out there but if you aren't honest, you aren't likely to get the help you need.
Pain Coping Indicator Scale
This form was taken from “The Pain Relief Handbook”. As indicated in the book “when pain distorts your ability to reason clearly it is not easy to observe yourself in a detached way. Dr. Eric Ghadiali,a neuropsychologist, devised a questionnaire that helps to overcome this problem. Circle the appropriate word to indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements. It is important to answer all questions.
Name:_____________________________
1) I feel happy about my life in general.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
2) I have lost my confidence.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
3) I try to avoid other people when I have pain.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
4) I feel my pain cuts me off from other people.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
5) I sometimes worry that I have a serious illness.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
6) My pain affects the way I get on with family and friends a great deal.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
7) My pain makes me feel tense and frustrated.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
8) My pain makes me feel miserable most of the time.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
9) I have to rely on other people a great deal because of my pain.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
10) I never go out because people do not want to know you when you have pain.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
11) My pain stops me from leading a normal life.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
12) I find it very difficult to relax.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
13) My pain makes me opt out of things.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
14) My pain stops me from going places.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
15) My pain makes it difficult to socialize with people.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
16) I am coping well with my pain.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
17) My pain makes me feel useless and not needed.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
18) All my problems are caused by pain.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
19) I manage to do most things in my life that I want to do.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
“Now see how you fared. Questions 1, 16 and 19 score: strongly disagree, 1; disagree, 2;: uncertain, 3; agree, 4; strongly agree, 5. All other questions score: strongly disagree, 5; disagree, 4; uncertain,3; agree, 2; strongly agree, 1.
Most people with long-standing pain problems achieve somewhere around 50 on this test. If your scores is above 65, then you are probably coping quite well with your pain and not allowing it to interfere with your life a great deal. The higher the score, the better you are at managing your life
A score below 40 means that you are likely having difficulty living a normal life. You may feel a loss of confidence and have perhaps stopped mixing with people. Basically, you do not feel very happy with yourself and possibly feel that pain is controlling you. It is likely that you need some help in improving your coping skills.
The longer you have pain, the more likely it is you will feel depressed. Even in normal circumstances people tend to brood over their problems when they feel under the weather. Pain magnifies black moods, making it harder to change your habits and behaviour.
You have probably gathered by now how difficult it is to quantify pain, because what you are trying to measure is a personal experience that, quite often, you believe no one else fully understands. Even when the pain is all psychological, however, and there are no obvious physical symptoms, it is no less real”
This form was taken from “The Pain Relief Handbook”. As indicated in the book “when pain distorts your ability to reason clearly it is not easy to observe yourself in a detached way. Dr. Eric Ghadiali,a neuropsychologist, devised a questionnaire that helps to overcome this problem. Circle the appropriate word to indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements. It is important to answer all questions.
Name:_____________________________
1) I feel happy about my life in general.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
2) I have lost my confidence.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
3) I try to avoid other people when I have pain.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
4) I feel my pain cuts me off from other people.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
5) I sometimes worry that I have a serious illness.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
6) My pain affects the way I get on with family and friends a great deal.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
7) My pain makes me feel tense and frustrated.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
8) My pain makes me feel miserable most of the time.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
9) I have to rely on other people a great deal because of my pain.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
10) I never go out because people do not want to know you when you have pain.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
11) My pain stops me from leading a normal life.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
12) I find it very difficult to relax.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
13) My pain makes me opt out of things.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
14) My pain stops me from going places.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
15) My pain makes it difficult to socialize with people.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
16) I am coping well with my pain.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
17) My pain makes me feel useless and not needed.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
18) All my problems are caused by pain.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
19) I manage to do most things in my life that I want to do.
Strongly disagree disagree uncertain agree agree strongly
“Now see how you fared. Questions 1, 16 and 19 score: strongly disagree, 1; disagree, 2;: uncertain, 3; agree, 4; strongly agree, 5. All other questions score: strongly disagree, 5; disagree, 4; uncertain,3; agree, 2; strongly agree, 1.
Most people with long-standing pain problems achieve somewhere around 50 on this test. If your scores is above 65, then you are probably coping quite well with your pain and not allowing it to interfere with your life a great deal. The higher the score, the better you are at managing your life
A score below 40 means that you are likely having difficulty living a normal life. You may feel a loss of confidence and have perhaps stopped mixing with people. Basically, you do not feel very happy with yourself and possibly feel that pain is controlling you. It is likely that you need some help in improving your coping skills.
The longer you have pain, the more likely it is you will feel depressed. Even in normal circumstances people tend to brood over their problems when they feel under the weather. Pain magnifies black moods, making it harder to change your habits and behaviour.
You have probably gathered by now how difficult it is to quantify pain, because what you are trying to measure is a personal experience that, quite often, you believe no one else fully understands. Even when the pain is all psychological, however, and there are no obvious physical symptoms, it is no less real”
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