The following questions may be asked by your doctor to better understand the pain you are experiencing. Be prepared to answer as much as you can.

 

Where do you feel the pain?

Tell your doctor all of the areas you are experiencing pain. Don’t say the pain is in your leg. Explain and point it out to where the specific pain is in your leg. Does the pain transfer to your feet at all? This will help your doctor to examine the appropriate area.

 

What kind of pain are you feeling?

Please be as specific as you can. Think about the pain you are feeling. Is it sharp, tingling or burning? Perhaps it is a shooting pain that goes from one area of the body to the next. Different types of pain can mean different things. Don’t hold back on what you are feeling.

 

How often do you feel pain?

Is it chronic or acute? If the pain has lasted more than six months it is considered chronic pain. You may want to specify how often you feel the pain. Do you feel pain when you are sleeping, walking the dog or picking up your child? Monitor when and how you feel the pain.

 

How severe is the pain?

Is the pain tolerable or does it make everyday activities more difficult? Think about how the pain affects your life, from the minute you wake up to when you go to bed. Are you able to concentrate at work, cook a meal, or clean the house effectively?

Don’t worry about oversharing how you feel with your doctor. No one should have to live with pain, and if we can treat it accordingly, well, that’s a good thing for everyone. 

 

Let’s consider some of the questions a doctor may ask you

• Are there activities that make your pain better or worse?
• What time of day is your pain better or worse?
• What have you tried so far to help? (Medications, creams, physical therapy, surgery, etc.)
• Does it seem like something in particular triggers your pain?

 

Useful vocabulary to talk about the kind of pain