This has truly helped me during my doctor consultations and ongoing treatment programs. On this 1 to 10 scale, since I believe I have experienced a 10 (during my hospitalization for meningitis), I am aware of when I’m at a 2, 5, or 7. I don’t know how many women would necessarily agree with that!) (Note: Many medical staffers describe the pain level a woman experiences during a normal childbirth as an 8. You are delirious from it and you cannot adequately express yourself it is so disruptive. It greatly fatigues you and there is no quality of life at this point.ġ0 – The worst pain imaginable. Your pain is debilitating, affecting your outlook, and overall wellbeing.ĩ – Your pain is difficult to bear. It is difficult to concentrate and is requiring that you lay down frequently. You frequently need assistance due to the pain you are experiencing when moving around.Ĩ – Your pain is significant and interfering in every aspect of your life. You have a difficult time living your life in a normal way. It is starting to significantly interfere with your life.ħ – At level 7, your pain is beginning to disable you. Good days, bad days.ĥ – You are regularly not able to perform certain activities due to your pain, which is pretty much present most of the time.Ħ – Your pain is affecting most all of your daily activities. This is how the scale is generally explained:Ġ – You are not experiencing any pain at all.ġ – You are having an occasional mild pain, but it doesn’t have much effect on you.Ģ – You have a pain that presents itself off and on, but it is pretty easy to live with.ģ – Your pain is present more frequently and is becoming rather nagging.Ĥ – Your pain is beginning to prevent you from certain activities at times. Some people can stub a toe and say their pain is a “10.” In reality, that level of pain is generally not considered a “10.” So what is the guideline? We all know that everyone has a different pain tolerance. This can be very confusing for the patient, who is thinking “which number best represents my pain?” Most medical facilities use the Stanford Pain Scale (1-10) to ask patients to measure their current pain level by. If you have a condition that causes pain, you will commonly be asked what your pain level is at each medical appointment or procedure appointment. However, I will say that experiencing migraines and spinal meningitis have provided me with the ability to gauge pain better. Everyone has a different tolerance for pain.

Printable pain scale 1 10