Pain Levels

Pain levels, often described through a pain scale, provide a standardized method for people to communicate the intensity of their pain to health care providers and others.

Tips & Links

• Pain is experienced by each person differently. Physical, emotional, social, and cultural differences can impact how you experience your pain. It is understood by most health care professionals that “pain is what the person says it is”.
• Be ready for health care professionals to ask you to give a number to rate your pain. This number scale was developed by a nurse, Margo McCaffery in 1988, asking patients to rate their pain level on a scale of 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable).
• Know that your pain can also be described as (0-3) mild pain, (4-6) limiting your activities, or (7-10) severe pain and not allowing you to complete daily tasks. It is important you are honest and open when describing your pain.
• Learn about how to assess your pain and how to communicate your pain levels and what you need from the Canadian Cancer Society.
• Pain can be short term (or acute) in the case of an injury or chronic pain, lasting for an extended period and possibly never resolving.
• Know that chronic pain might be more common in seniors due to diseases such as arthritis and diabetes but is not a normal symptom of aging. Talk to your physician or nurse practitioner about any new pains, long-term pains, and any new sensations such as numbness or tingling.
• Learn more about chronic pain from Healthlink BC.
• Learn ways to get help, support, and resources from Pain BC. Contact their Pain Support Line at 1-884-880-PAIN.
• Explore therapies such as massage, physiotherapy, exercise, and acupuncture to help relieve pain to improve the quality of your life.
• Be aware that different cultures experience and treat chronic pain differently. Learn about Indigenous people and their chronic pain from Pain BC.
• If you live with chronic pain, include it as one of your health conditions in your health profile. Keep a record of your pain on your health calendar in your Mywell Health planner. Include when it started, description and location of the pain, time of day, any connection to food or activities, and impact on your sleep.

Tools – Handouts & Videos