Pain is a universal experience. It’s a feeling of physical discomfort that results from illness or injury and is often the first signal that there is something wrong. But, pain manifests in many different ways. There are varying pain levels depending on the extent of an injury sustained or the severity of a condition. Pain levels can be felt in a wide range of feelings, from a mild sensation that’s more annoying than painful to paralyzing pain that prevents mobility.
Pain is also the body’s way of saying that you might need to stop doing certain physical activities that aggravate the condition. For example, the pain emanating from a sudden ankle sprain becomes more pronounced every time the ankle is moved. The more severe the sprain, the more painful the signal. Or, pain can also signal the body to start doing something to prevent more damage from happening. An example would be if a body part comes into contact with an open flame. The slightest sensation of pain tells the brain to do something to protect the body. In most cases, the reaction would be instantaneous.
Importantly, pain lets you know something is wrong. The many pain sensations all share the same thing: the body is requiring attention. Sensations include feelings of soreness in certain body parts (tired legs) or diffused throughout the whole body (fatigue). There are also short bursts of pain ranging from stabbing (stomach cramps) to throbbing (headache) sensations. Also, pain results from extreme experiences of hot and cold, such as burns or frostbite.
Acute and Chronic Pain
In general, pain can be described as acute or chronic. When pain is experienced for a short period, between a few minutes to around three months, it is usually classified as acute pain.
Pain emanating from soft-tissue injuries or a passing sickness is often temporary and thus termed acute. It is often described as sharp or severe, and it can last between a few seconds or linger for hours.
On the other hand, pain that persists for more than three months, whether constant or intermittent, is called chronic. This type of pain is usually the result of a lingering illness (cancer) or a similar chronic condition like arthritis, scoliosis, or fibromyalgia. Note that acute pain, if not addressed properly and on time, can graduate into chronic pain.
Other Types of Pain
Apart from classifying pain into acute and chronic, pain can also be classified based on where the pain comes from. Pain can be termed neuropathic, nociceptive, or radicular pain. These pain types can either be acute or chronic.
Neuropathic pain is pain generated by damage to the nervous system. It is characterized by a sensation often described as feeling like being jabbed by a million tiny pins and needles all over the affected area simultaneously. Neuropathic pain also affects touch sensitivity, making it more difficult to determine hot or cold feelings.
Nociceptive pain is the pain felt when body tissue is injured often caused by external injuries. Nociceptive pain is felt in the joints, tendons, skin, muscles, and bones. This type of pain can be either chronic and acute. Good examples of nociceptive pain would be head injury, muscle sprain, and bone fractures.
Radicular pain is a very particular kind of pain that is caused by an inflamed or compressed spinal nerve. The pain is described as radiating, originating from the back or hips and into the legs via the spine and spinal nerve root. Back pain or pain that radiates from the back into the leg is called radiculopathy. This condition is usually identified as sciatica, as it is often the sciatic nerve that is the culprit.
The Problem With Describing Pain
Diagnosing the cause of pain often requires the medical practitioner to ask patients to describe the pain. Usual questions include where the pain is coming from, is it constant or intermittent, and whether the pain prevents the sufferer from performing regular activities. Most importantly, doctors and medical staff need to know how much pain is being felt. Only then can they suggest interventional pain treatment solutions.
This is where the issue lies. According to the National Institute of Health, pain is a subjective feeling. Asking a patient to describe their pain, as well as taking in the evaluation of an observer can be influenced by many factors. This includes socio-economic status, beliefs, and psychological status. For example, the same injury can produce different results depending on a number of factors. A person distracted by a task or in a hurry to get somewhere might be more inclined to shrug off an injury compared to others.
Pain’s subjectivity prevents an accurate assessment of the patient’s condition. What can be very painful for you can be mildly painful for others, or vice versa. In addition, as pain is a personal experience, it can be difficult to communicate accurately. At the same time, medical personnel recording the information may find it similarly difficult to translate to an objective report. Measuring the degree of pain is critical for both medical staff and the patient in pinpointing likely causes and in coming up with solutions.
How Do You Measure Pain?
While medical science developed a number of methods to document pain felt by patients, there remains a lot to understand about pain. Its subjectivity actually inhibits scientists from developing tools to accurately quantify pain. But, over the centuries, attempts have been made on the subject.
One of the earliest documented attempts to measure pain came in 19th century Germany. The discipline called “psychophysics'' studied the relationship between stimuli and sensation. Scientist Maximilian von Frey developed a method to measure what he called Schmerzpunkte (pain points). He would select horse hairs of varying stiffness and attach them to individual sticks. He would then press the hair from each stick against a subject’s skin. Using this method, Von Frey documented the amount of pressure that can cause a person to feel pain from a particular hair. Von Frey and his psychophysics colleagues also tested other methods to test skin sensitivity. This includes employing hot or cold rods of varying temperatures.
Fast forward a few hundred years, when a group of researchers tried to pick up where psychophysics left off. James Hardy, Helen Goodell, and Harold Wolff, all from Cornell University, developed a pain measuring device in the 1940s that they called the dolorimeter. They invented the device to help evaluate the effectiveness of analgesics. Dolorimeters apply steady heat, pressure, or electricity to an area of the body to determine the pain thresholds and pain tolerance of patients. Their studies showed that on average, subjects reported pain sensations at a skin temperature starting 113 °F (45 °C). Also, they found that after a certain threshold of 152 °F (67 °C), pain sensations did not intensify even if the heat was increased.
Using the results of the study, the researchers developed the "Hardy-Wolff-Goodell" scale, with 10 levels called dols. However, other research teams weren’t able to duplicate their study, so the idea of dolorimeters was abandoned. But, they did manage to point scientists in the right direction.
Modern Pain Scales
With the advances of modern sciences developing alongside a growing awareness of medical ethics, the methods for measuring pain became less invasive and avoided inflicting any sort of bodily harm to subjects. Instead, patients are simply asked to describe their pain, and the date will then be recorded and set against established standards. While they remained subjective, this gives medical practitioners more information on the degree of pain being felt.
There are three basic categories of pain scales. These are categorized based on the input data required to complete the assessment.
- Numerical Rating Scales (NRS) use numbers to rate pain. Patients are usually asked to select a number from a given scale that best describes the degree of pain felt.
- Visual Analog Scales (VAS) utilize a scale where patients are asked to mark where they think their pain levels are closest.
- Categorical Scales use words to describe the pain levels. They may use numbers, colors, or relative locations to communicate pain.
While numerical rating scales are quantitative and visual analog and categorical scales are qualitative, one type does not automatically mean it’s better than the others. Pain measurement often requires both quantitative and qualitative data for a more accurate diagnosis.
10 Pain Scales and How They Measure Pain Levels
Numerical Rating Pain Scale
The Numerical Rating Pain Scale is a simple pain scale that grades pain levels from 0 (No pain), 1,2, and 3 (Mild), 4,5, and 6 (Moderate), 7,8, and 9 (Severe) to 10 (Worst Pain Possible). This simple tool assumes a grasp of basic number skills and is recommended for patients over the age of nine.
Patients will need to rate three kinds of pain: Current, Best, and Worst Pain experienced within the past 24 hours. Medical personnel will get the average of the three ratings and use the answer to represent the patient’s current pain level.
Wong-Baker Faces Scale
The Wong-Baker Faces Scale uses faces that run the course of emotions from Smiling (0, or no pain) to Crying (10, worst pain). It was developed by Drs. Donna Wong and Connie Baker. This tool further simplified the numerical rating of pain by assigning a graphic to each number on the pain scale.
The Wong-Baker Faces Scale was developed to assist children in providing the level of pain being felt. This has been tested to work with patients 3 years old and above. It also works well with illiterate patients or those who have verbal abilities. It also provides a culturally-sensitive depiction of the human face.
The FLACC (Face, Legs, Arms, Crying, Consolability) scale is a behavioral pain assessment tool used to help determine pain levels in nonverbal or preverbal patients who lack communication skills to report their own pain levels. Doctors and other qualified medical staff can assess a patients’ pain levels by observing the 5 FLACC categories. They use a pre-made form to fill out scores (0, 1, or 2) that best describes the patient’s condition. The FLACC pain scale is a valuable tool for assessing infants and children between two months and 18 years of age. They are also very useful for children with existing cognitive impairments or developmental delays caused by disease or earlier conditions.
The COMFORT scale is a measurement tool used by healthcare providers to measure pain levels in patients that are unable to perform a self-check. They are suitable for infants and children, incapacitated or cognitively impaired adults, and sedated or ICU-confined patients.
The COMFORT Scale provides a pain rating between 1 (low) to 5 (high) on a total of nine categories:
- Calmness / Agitation
- Respiratory Response
- Blood pressure
- Heart rate
- Muscle tone
- Physical movement
- Facial tension
Note that some versions of the COMFORT scale may have a different number of categories. In some cases, some categories were grouped together.
Visual Analogue Scale
The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) is a tool used to measure pain a patient feels that removes the perceived “jumps” from none, mild, moderate, and severe. The VAS was developed to conform to the patient’s perspective that the pain they feel is continuous and not something that shifts abruptly.
The simplest variation of the VAS is a single 100 mm line between No Pain to Very Extreme Pain. The patient is then asked to mark a point in the line corresponding to the level of pain they’re experiencing. The VAS score is determined by measuring in millimeters starting from the left end to the mark. Other variants of the VAS, including a vertical line and lines with descriptors, have been developed.
McGill Pain Questionnaire
The McGill Pain Questionnaire is a list of 78 adjectives that help patients describe the pain they’re feeling. Designed for literate patients, they can be useful in developing a rehabilitation plan, as they pinpoint the range of pain being felt. Patients need to mark the words that closely resemble their pain levels. Medical staff will then assign the patient with a score (not exceeding 78) based on how many words were marked.
Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (DVPRS)
The DVPRS is a relatively new scale developed by the Department of Defense for use in military hospitals to better assess pain in patients. It combines the Wong-Baker pain scale of 0-10 with an assessment tool that measures the pain’s impact on patients’ daily function. In addition, the DVPRS contains additional questions that help determine the effects of pain on a patient’s daily functions like activity, sleep, mood, and stress.
Pain Assessment in People With Dementia (PAINAD)
Many older adults lose the ability to communicate clearly, especially those suffering from dementia. Comprehensive pain specialists will find it difficult to determine their levels of pain using conventional scales. PAINAD was designed to assess pain in Dementia patients based on five specific indicators: breathing, vocalization, facial expression, body language, and consolability. Similar to FLACC, each category contains three choices ranging from 0 to 2. A trained health professional can use the PAINAD scale to assess patients within five minutes of observation.
Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS)
The Behavioral Pain Scale is a simplified version of the McGill Pain Questionnaire. It helps assess pain levels in sedated or mechanically ventilated critically ill patients. The scale works well for patients that cannot communicate at present due to their condition. BPS consists of three items (Facial Expression, Upper Limbs, and Compliance with Ventilation) with four distinct choices each. Health care providers only need to check the value that closely resembles the patient’s current behavior.
Mankoski Pain Scale
The Mankoski Pain Scale, developed by Andrea Mankoski in 1995, is a popular pain scale that provides well-defined states of pain. Designed for conscious patients that have moderate literacy skills, it can provide a narrower state of pain levels. Patients simply choose a number between 0 (Pain-free) to 10 (Unconscious) to describe their current state. Mankoski generously shared the pain scale with the public for free as long as attribution to the author is given. The Mankoski Pain Scale categories are:
- 0 – Pain-free
- 1 – Very minor annoyance – occasional minor twinges. No medication needed.
- 2 – Minor Annoyance – occasional strong twinges. No medication needed.
- 3 – Annoying enough to be distracting. Mild painkillers take care of it. (Aspirin, Ibuprofen.)
- 4 – Can be ignored if you are really involved in your work, but still distracting. Mild painkillers remove pain for 3-4 hours.
- 5 – Can't be ignored for more than 30 minutes. Mild painkillers ameliorate pain for 3-4 hours.
- 6 – Can't be ignored for any length of time, but you can still go to work and participate in social activities. Stronger painkillers (Codeine, narcotics) reduce pain for 3-4 hours.
- 7 – Makes it difficult to concentrate, interferes with sleep. You can still function with effort. Stronger painkillers are only partially effective.
- 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.
Describing Pain is Just the Beginning
There are many methods available to communicate pain levels being experienced to medical professionals such as comprehensive pain specialists. Once the pain is identified, it becomes easier for health care professionals to prescribe treatments.
Pain is often the signal that there’s something your body wants to tell you urgently. If you are experiencing pain that won’t go away, let Midsouth Pain Treatment Center take a look at your problem. We know that pain is a different experience for every person, so we’ll take time to get to know your conditions before we offer any solution.
Maumivu ni jambo linalopatikana kotekote. Ni hisia ya usumbufu wa kimwili inayotokana na ugonjwa au jeraha na mara nyingi ni ishara ya kwanza kwamba kuna kitu kibaya. Lakini, maumivu huonekana kwa njia nyingi tofauti. Kuna viwango tofauti vya maumivu kulingana na kiwango cha jeraha lililopatikana au uzito wa hali. Viwango vya maumivu vinaweza kuhisiwa katika aina mbalimbali za hisia, kutoka hisia kali ambayo ni ya kukasirisha zaidi kuliko chungu hadi maumivu ya kupooza ambayo huzuia mwendo. Maumivu ni njia ya mwili ya kukwambia kwamba huenda ukahitaji kuacha kufanya shughuli fulani za kimwili ambazo huongeza hali hiyo. Kwa mfano, maumivu yanayotokana na kupasuka kwa mguu kwa ghafula huwa makubwa zaidi kila wakati mguu unapohamishwa. Kadiri msuguano ulivyo mkali, ndivyo ishara hiyo inavyokuwa chungu zaidi. Kwa upande mwingine, maumivu yanaweza pia kuwa ishara kwa mwili kuanza kufanya kitu ili kuzuia uharibifu zaidi kutokea. Mfano ungekuwa ikiwa sehemu ya mwili inagusa moto ulio wazi. Hisia ndogo ya maumivu huambia ubongo ufanye jambo fulani ili kulinda mwili. Katika visa vingi, itatokea mara moja. Jambo la muhimu ni kwamba maumivu hukujulisha kwamba kuna jambo lisilofaa. Hisia nyingi za maumivu zote zinashiriki jambo moja: mwili unahitaji uangalifu. Hisia hizo zinatia ndani hisia za uchungu katika sehemu fulani za mwili (miguu iliyochoka) au kuenea kotekote mwilini (uchovu). Pia kuna maumivu mafupi yanayoanzia maumivu ya tumbo (mshtuko wa tumbo) hadi maumivu ya kichwa (mshtuko wa kichwa). Pia, maumivu hutokana na hali ya juu ya joto na baridi, kama vile kuchomwa moto au kuharibiwa na baridi kali. Maumivu Makali na ya Kudumu Kwa ujumla, maumivu yaweza kuelezwa kuwa makali au ya kudumu. Wakati maumivu yanapotokea kwa muda mfupi, kati ya dakika chache hadi miezi mitatu, kwa kawaida huorodheshwa kama maumivu makali. Mara nyingi maumivu yanayotokana na majeraha ya tishu laini au ugonjwa wa muda mfupi ni ya muda tu na kwa hiyo huitwa maumivu makali. Mara nyingi hufafanuliwa kuwa kali au kali, na inaweza kudumu kati ya sekunde chache au kudumu kwa saa nyingi. Kwa upande mwingine, maumivu ambayo huendelea kwa zaidi ya miezi mitatu, iwe ni ya kudumu au ya mara kwa mara, huitwa maumivu sugu. Kwa kawaida maumivu hayo husababishwa na ugonjwa wa muda mrefu (kansa) au ugonjwa mwingine unaoendelea kama vile ugonjwa wa viungo, ugonjwa wa uti wa mgongo, au ugonjwa wa misuli. Kumbuka kwamba maumivu makali, ikiwa hayatafutwi ifaavyo na kwa wakati, yanaweza kuwa maumivu sugu. Mbali na kugawanya maumivu katika makali na ya muda mrefu, maumivu yanaweza pia kugawanywa kulingana na mahali ambapo maumivu yanatoka. Maumivu yaweza kuitwa maumivu ya neva, maumivu ya kuambukiza, au maumivu ya mizizi. Aina hizi za maumivu zaweza kuwa kali au sugu. Maumivu ya neva ni maumivu yanayotokana na uharibifu wa mfumo wa neva. "Ugonjwa huo unajulikana kwa sababu ya hisia ya ""kuchomwa na milioni moja ya pini ndogo na sindano katika eneo lote lililoharibiwa kwa wakati mmoja.""" Maumivu ya neva huathiri pia hisia za kugusa, na hivyo kufanya iwe vigumu zaidi kutambua hisia za joto au baridi. Maumivu ya nociceptive ni maumivu yanayosikika wakati tishu za mwili zinapoumia mara nyingi husababishwa na majeraha ya nje. Maumivu ya kuambukiza huhisiwa katika viungo, tendoni, ngozi, misuli, na mifupa. Aina hii ya maumivu yaweza kuwa ya kudumu au ya kali. Mifano mizuri ya maumivu ya kuambukiza ni majeraha ya kichwa, kupasuka kwa misuli, na kuvunjika kwa mifupa. Radicular maumivu ni aina ya maumivu ambayo ni kusababishwa na uvimbe au compressed neva ya uti wa mgongo. Maumivu ya mgongo huanza kutoka nyuma au viuno na kuingia kwenye miguu kupitia uti wa mgongo na mizizi ya neva ya uti wa mgongo. Maumivu ya mgongo au maumivu ambayo hutoka nyuma hadi mguu huitwa radiculopathy. Kwa kawaida hali hiyo huitwa sciatica, kwa kuwa mara nyingi neva ya sciatic ndiyo husababisha ugonjwa huo. Kwa mfano, kwa sababu ya maumivu ya kawaida, mara nyingi daktari anahitaji kuwauliza wagonjwa waeleze maumivu yao. Maswali ya kawaida ni pamoja na wapi maumivu yanatoka, ni ya mara kwa mara au ya mara kwa mara, na kama maumivu huzuia mgonjwa kufanya shughuli za kawaida. Jambo la muhimu zaidi ni kwamba madaktari na wafanyakazi wa kitiba wanahitaji kujua jinsi maumivu yanavyosikika. Ni wakati huo tu wanapopata suluhisho la matibabu ya maumivu. Huko ndiko tatizo lipo. Kulingana na Taasisi ya Kitaifa ya Afya, maumivu ni hisia ya kibinafsi. Kuuliza mgonjwa kuelezea maumivu yake, pamoja na kuchukua tathmini ya mtazamaji inaweza kuathiriwa na mambo mengi. Hilo latia ndani hali ya kijamii na kiuchumi, itikadi, na hali ya kisaikolojia. Kwa mfano, jeraha moja laweza kusababisha matokeo tofauti ikitegemea mambo kadhaa. Mtu ambaye amevurugika na kazi au ana haraka ya kufika mahali fulani anaweza kuwa na mwelekeo zaidi wa kupuuza jeraha ikilinganishwa na wengine. Subjectivity maumivu huzuia tathmini sahihi ya hali ya mgonjwa. Kile ambacho kinaweza kuwa chenye uchungu sana kwako, kinaweza kuwa chenye uchungu kidogo kwa wengine, au kinyume chake. Kwa kuongezea, kwa kuwa maumivu ni jambo la kibinafsi, inaweza kuwa vigumu kueleza kwa usahihi. Wakati huohuo, huenda wafanyakazi wa kitiba wanaorekodi habari hizo wakaona ni vigumu kuifasiri katika ripoti isiyo na ubaguzi. Kupima kiwango cha maumivu ni muhimu kwa wafanyakazi wa matibabu na mgonjwa katika kutambua sababu zinazowezekana na katika kuja na ufumbuzi. Unapimaje Maumivu? Ingawa sayansi ya kitiba imebuni mbinu kadhaa za kurekodi maumivu yanayohisiwa na wagonjwa, bado kuna mengi ya kuelewa kuhusu maumivu. Uwezo wake wa kufikiri hasa huwazuia wanasayansi kutengeneza vifaa vya kupima maumivu kwa usahihi. Lakini, kwa karne nyingi, majaribio yamefanywa juu ya jambo hilo. Moja ya majaribio ya kwanza ya kupima maumivu ya mwili yalifanywa katika karne ya 19 nchini Ujerumani. Discipline aitwaye "psychophysics" alisoma uhusiano kati ya vichocheo na hisia. Mwanasayansi Maximilian von Frey alibuni njia ya kupima kile alichokiita Schmerzpunkte (mahali pa maumivu). Alichagua nywele za farasi zenye ugumu tofauti-tofauti na kuziunganisha na vijiti vya mtu mmoja-mmoja. Kisha alisisitiza nywele kutoka kwa kila fimbo dhidi ya ngozi ya mtihani. Kwa kutumia mbinu hiyo, Von Frey alirekodi kiasi cha shinikizo linaloweza kumfanya mtu ahisi maumivu kutokana na nywele fulani. Von Frey na wenzake wa kisaikolojia pia walijaribu mbinu nyingine za kupima unyeti wa ngozi. Hilo latia ndani kutumia vijiti vyenye joto au vyenye baridi vyenye joto tofauti-tofauti. Katika miaka ya nyuma, kikundi cha watafiti kilianza kutafakari juu ya jinsi ya kuondoa psychophysics. James Hardy, Helen Goodell na Harold Wolff, wanaofundisha katika Chuo Kikuu cha Cornell, Marekani, walianzisha kipimo cha maumivu cha aina ya pain meter. Walitengeneza kifaa hicho ili kusaidia kutathmini ufanisi wa dawa za kupunguza maumivu. Vipimo vya maumivu hutumia joto, shinikizo, au umeme kwa sehemu fulani ya mwili ili kuamua kiwango cha maumivu na uvumilivu wa maumivu ya wagonjwa. Utafiti huo ulionyesha kwamba kwa wastani, watu waliojaribu kuambukizwa ugonjwa huo walipata maumivu wakati ngozi yao ilipokuwa na joto la joto la zaidi ya nyuzi 45 (Celsius). Pia, walipata kwamba baada ya kiwango fulani cha joto cha 67 ° C, hisia za maumivu hazikuzidi hata ikiwa joto liliongezeka. Kwa kutumia matokeo ya utafiti huo, watafiti walianzisha kiwango cha Hardy-Wolfe-Goodell, ambacho kina viwango kumi vinavyoitwa dols. Hata hivyo, timu nyingine za utafiti hazikuweza kuiga utafiti wao, kwa hiyo wazo la dolorimeters liliachwa. Lakini, walifaulu kuwaelekeza wanasayansi katika mwelekeo sahihi. Kwa maendeleo ya sayansi ya kisasa, pamoja na kuongezeka kwa ufahamu wa maadili ya matibabu, mbinu za kupima maumivu zilikuwa chini ya uvamizi na kuepuka kusababisha aina yoyote ya madhara ya mwili kwa masomo. Badala yake, wagonjwa wanaulizwa tu kuelezea maumivu yao, na tarehe hiyo itaandikwa na kuelekezwa kwa viwango vilivyowekwa. Ingawa walibaki wakiwa na maoni yao, hilo huwapa madaktari habari zaidi kuhusu kiwango cha maumivu waliyohisi. Kuna makundi matatu ya msingi ya vipimo vya maumivu. Hizi ni categorized kulingana na data ya pembejeo required kukamilisha tathmini. - Numerical Rating Scales (NRS) hutumia namba ili kupima maumivu. Kwa kawaida wagonjwa huulizwa wachague nambari kutoka kwa kiwango fulani ambacho hufafanua vizuri zaidi kiwango cha maumivu wanayohisi. VAS (Visual Analog Scale) ni kipimo cha maumivu ambacho kinaonyesha kiwango cha maumivu ya mgonjwa. - Vipimo vya Makundi hutumia maneno kuelezea viwango vya maumivu. Wanaweza kutumia namba, rangi, au mahali fulani ili kueleza uchungu wao. Wakati mizani ya kiwango cha idadi ni ya kiasi na analog ya kuona na mizani ya kikaboni ni ya ubora, aina moja haimaanishi moja kwa moja ni bora kuliko nyingine. Kupima maumivu mara nyingi huhitaji data za kiasi na za ubora kwa ajili ya utambuzi sahihi zaidi. "Swala la maumivu ya kihisia ni kiwango cha ""Numerical Rating Pain Scale"" ambacho kinaonyesha maumivu ya kihisia kuanzia 0 (No Pain), 1, 2, 3 (Mild), 4, 5, 6 (Moderate), 7, 8 (Severe) hadi 10 (Worst Pain Possible)." Kifaa hiki rahisi kinadhani ufahamu wa ujuzi wa msingi wa namba na inapendekezwa kwa wagonjwa zaidi ya umri wa miaka tisa. Kwa mfano, wagonjwa wanaweza kupima maumivu ya aina tatu: ya sasa, bora na mbaya zaidi, maumivu yaliyopatikana katika masaa 24 yaliyopita. Wafanyakazi wa kitiba watapata wastani wa viwango vitatu na kutumia jibu ili kuwakilisha kiwango cha sasa cha maumivu ya mgonjwa. Wong-Baker Scale: Inaonyesha hisia za mtu kutoka kwa kutabasamu hadi kulia. Ilitengenezwa na Dakt. Donna Wong na Connie Baker. Chombo hiki kilirahisisha zaidi kiwango cha nambari ya maumivu kwa kugawa picha kwa kila nambari kwenye kiwango cha maumivu. Kiwango cha Nyuso cha Wong-Baker kilitengenezwa ili kuwasaidia watoto kutoa kiwango cha maumivu yanayohisiwa. Hii imethibitishwa kwa ajili ya watoto wenye umri wa miaka mitatu na zaidi. Pia inafanya kazi vizuri kwa wagonjwa wasiojua kusoma na kuandika au wale walio na uwezo wa kusema. Pia hutoa picha ya uso wa kibinadamu inayofaa utamaduni. FLAC (Face, Legs, Arms, Crying, Consolation) ni kipimo cha maumivu kinachotumiwa kuamua kiwango cha maumivu kwa wagonjwa wasio na usemi ambao hawana uwezo wa kuwasiliana na wengine. Madaktari na wafanyakazi wengine wa matibabu wanaweza kutathmini viwango vya maumivu ya wagonjwa kwa kuzingatia makundi matano ya FLACC. Kwa mfano, fomu ya kwanza ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu ya fomu. FLAP ni kipimo cha maumivu ya watoto wachanga na watoto wa kati ya miezi miwili na miaka 18. Pia ni muhimu sana kwa watoto wenye kasoro za utambuzi zilizopo au kucheleweshwa kwa maendeleo kunakosababishwa na ugonjwa au hali za mapema. Kiwango cha Comfort ni kipimo cha upimaji kinachotumiwa na wataalamu wa afya kupima maumivu ya wagonjwa ambao hawawezi kufanya uchunguzi wa kibinafsi. Ni bora kwa watoto wachanga, watu wazima wenye ulemavu wa utambuzi, na wagonjwa walio chini ya udhibiti wa akili. Kwa mfano, kipimo cha maumivu cha kawaida ni 1 hadi 5 (chini) kwa jumla ya makundi tisa: utulivu, msisimko, majibu ya kupumua, shinikizo la damu, msukumo wa moyo, sauti ya misuli, mwendo wa mwili, mvutano wa uso, na viwango vya maumivu. Katika visa fulani, makundi fulani yaliunganishwa pamoja. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) ni kipimo cha maumivu ya mgonjwa, na kipimo cha maumivu ya mgonjwa, na kipimo cha maumivu ya mgonjwa, na kipimo cha maumivu ya mgonjwa. VAS imebuniwa ili kuendana na mtazamo wa mgonjwa kwamba maumivu wanayohisi ni ya kuendelea na sio kitu ambacho hubadilika ghafla. Vipimo vya VAS vinaonyesha mstari wa 100mm kati ya maumivu ya No na maumivu ya Extreme. Kisha mgonjwa anaulizwa amweke alama kwenye mstari unaolingana na kiwango cha maumivu anayokabili. VAS alama ni kuamua kwa kupima katika milimita kuanzia mwisho wa kushoto kwa alama. Tofauti nyingine za VAS, ikiwa ni pamoja na mstari wima na mistari na descriptors, zimeendelezwa. Kwa mujibu wa utafiti wa McGill Pain Questionnaire, watu 78 wanafanyiwa uchunguzi wa maumivu ya kihisia. Kwa kuwa zimekusudiwa wagonjwa wenye ujuzi wa kusoma na kuandika, zinaweza kuwa na manufaa katika kutengeneza mpango wa kurekebisha hali, kwa kuwa zinaonyesha kwa usahihi kiwango cha maumivu yanayohisiwa. Wagonjwa wanahitaji kutia alama maneno yanayofanana sana na viwango vyao vya maumivu. Mtaalamu wa matibabu atampa mgonjwa alama (si zaidi ya 78) kulingana na idadi ya maneno yaliyoandikwa. DVPRS (Divestment and Veterans Pain Rating Scale) ni kipimo cha kipimo cha maumivu cha zamani cha Marekani ambacho kinachotumiwa na Wizara ya Ulinzi ya Marekani (DOD) katika hospitali za kijeshi ili kuamua maumivu ya wagonjwa. Kwa mfano, kipimo cha maumivu cha Wong-Baker kinachotumiwa ni kipimo cha maumivu ya kila siku. DVPRS pia ina maswali ya ziada ambayo husaidia kuamua athari za maumivu kwenye kazi za kila siku za mgonjwa kama vile shughuli, usingizi, hali ya moyo, na mkazo. Utafiti wa maumivu kwa watu wenye dementia (PAINAD) Watu wazima wengi wazee hupoteza uwezo wa kuwasiliana wazi, haswa wale wanaosumbuliwa na dementia. Wataalamu wa maumivu ya jumla watapata ugumu wa kuamua viwango vyao vya maumivu kwa kutumia mizani ya kawaida. PAINAD ilitengenezwa ili kutathmini maumivu kwa wagonjwa wa dementia kulingana na viashiria vitano maalum: kupumua, sauti, usemi wa uso, lugha ya mwili, na faraja. Kwa mfano, katika FLAG, kila aina ya chaguo ina chaguzi tatu kuanzia 0 hadi 2. Wataalamu wa afya wanaweza kutumia kipimo cha PAINAD kuamua wagonjwa ndani ya dakika tano za uchunguzi. Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS) ni toleo la kawaida la McGill Pain Questionnaire. Inasaidia kutathmini viwango vya maumivu katika wagonjwa wagonjwa wenye maumivu makali waliolazwa au waliopumua kwa mashine. Kiwango hicho hufanya kazi vizuri kwa wagonjwa ambao hawawezi kuwasiliana kwa sasa kwa sababu ya hali yao. BPS inajumuisha vitu vitatu (Uonyesho wa uso, Viungo vya Juu, na Utii kwa Uingizaji hewa) na chaguzi nne tofauti kila moja. Watoa huduma za afya wanahitaji tu kuangalia thamani ambayo inafanana sana na tabia ya sasa ya mgonjwa. Mankoski Pain Scale ni kipimo cha maumivu kilichobuniwa na Andrea Mankoski mnamo 1995 na kinaonyesha hali ya maumivu ya mtu. Kwa wale walio na uwezo wa kusoma na kuandika, inaweza kutoa hali nyembamba ya viwango vya maumivu. Kwa mfano, wagonjwa wanaweza kuchagua namba kati ya 0 (kwa ajili ya maumivu) na 10 (kwa ajili ya kukosa fahamu) ili kuelezea hali yao ya sasa. Mankoski kwa ukarimu alishiriki kiwango cha maumivu na umma kwa bure kwa muda mrefu kama sifa kwa mwandishi hutolewa. Mankoski Pain Scale ni: - 0  Pain-free - 1  Very minor annoyance  occasional minor twinges. Hakuna dawa zinazohitajika. - 2 <unk> Minor Annoyance <unk> pindi kwa pindi strong twings. Hakuna dawa zinazohitajika. 3 - <unk> Inasumbua vya kutosha kuwa ya kukengeusha fikira. Dawa za kupunguza maumivu za kiasi hutatua tatizo hilo. Aspirini na Ibuprofen 4 - Unaweza kupuuzwa ikiwa unajihusisha sana na kazi yako, lakini bado unahatarisha. Dawa za kupunguza maumivu ya kiasi kidogo huondoa maumivu kwa muda wa saa tatu hadi nne. 5 - Hawezi kupuuzwa kwa zaidi ya dakika 30. Dawa za kupunguza maumivu ya kiasi kidogo hupunguza maumivu kwa muda wa saa tatu hadi nne. 6 - Huwezi kupuuzwa kwa muda mrefu, lakini bado unaweza kwenda kazini na kushiriki katika shughuli za kijamii. Dawa za kupunguza maumivu (Codeine, dawa za kulevya) hupunguza maumivu kwa masaa 3-4 - 7 <unk> Inafanya iwe vigumu kukaza fikira, huingilia usingizi. Bado unaweza kufanya kazi kwa kujitahidi. Dawa zenye nguvu za kupunguza maumivu hazifanyi kazi kwa kiasi fulani tu. - 8 <unk> Shughuli za kimwili zimepunguzwa sana. Unaweza kusoma na kuzungumza kwa jitihada. Ugonjwa wa kichefuchefu na kizunguzungu huanza kuwa visababishi vya maumivu. 9 - <unk> Haiwezi kusema. Kulia au kuugua bila kudhibitiwa <unk> karibu na uchovu. - 10 <unk> Unconscious. Maumivu hufanya upoteze fahamu. Maelezo ya maumivu ni mwanzo tu Kuna njia nyingi zinazopatikana kuwasiliana viwango vya maumivu vinavyopatikana kwa wataalamu wa matibabu kama wataalamu wa maumivu ya kina. Mara tu maumivu yanapotambuliwa, inakuwa rahisi kwa wataalamu wa huduma za afya kuagiza matibabu. Mara nyingi maumivu ni ishara kwamba kuna kitu ambacho mwili wako unataka kukuambia haraka. Kama wewe ni uzoefu maumivu ambayo si kwenda mbali, basi Midsouth maumivu ya matibabu ya kituo cha kuangalia tatizo lako. Tunajua kwamba maumivu ni uzoefu tofauti kwa kila mtu, hivyo tutachukua muda wa kujua hali yako kabla ya kutoa suluhisho lolote.