Expressing Your Pain to a Doctor – Part 3

Expressing Your Pain to a Doctor – Part 3

This content was medically reviewed by Baher S. Yanni, MD, on June 1st, 2016.

If your chronic pain is intense enough that you need to see a doctor, you have to make the most of your appointment. If you haven’t evaluated your own pain and figured out how to express it accurately, you’ll have trouble making your doctor understand exactly what is going on. Medical professionals have their own language, and at the Spine INA, we know it by heart.  In our last blog, we shared how to express your pain in their language, including the pain’s location and intensity. Today, we have to last aspects of  pain you’ll want to address with your doctor.

When do you feel the pain?

If you have chronic pain, you are always feeling it. However, telling your doctor you always hurt isn’t very helpful. If you can, detail times of day when it gets more intense. For instance, maybe it’s worse when you wake up or after you sit at your desk for a while. Make sure you detail any movements or activities that make the pain change.

What kind of pain is it?

Doctors depend on descriptions of pain to figure out what is going on. Think up descriptive words. Does your pain throb, stab, ache, or shoot? Your doctor has been trained to listen for these words, so the more you can give, the better.

The main key is to be honest. When you are, your doctor will be able to make plans that will help you. Contact us in New Jersey for world-class pain management services!