Pain scale to help you through your aches and pains

Our bodies are constantly communicating with us on a daily basis. I know that may sound odd for some but our bodies are constantly working and sending us signals, good and bad and many of us often miss these signals because of our busy lifestyles.

How often have you heard that a supposedly healthy and active person dropped down and had a heart attack? Perhaps, someone, you know just found out they have cancer and it is already in stage 4? On the other hand, a supposed fit and healthy individual may need a sudden kidney transplant or a cardiopulmonary bypass due to a blocked artery in their heart.

One thing is for sure, nothing really happens as instantly as the click of a finger when it comes to body-related illnesses. Very often we ignore signs and signals because we rate them as “minor” and do nothing. This is not always the best solution so we need to learn to tune into ourselves better and know when it is time to seek a medical professional’s help.

In the times that we are living in now, it is best not to take chances. When it comes to aches and pains that are out of the ordinary, learn to use an assessment tool such as Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale.

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Although this pain scale is often used in health facilities for kids or adults that have impaired brain function, you can use it in your personal capacity to help you identify the intensity of your pain and whether you should seek medical assistance or not. It rates pain on a scale from 0 to 10, The 0 will stand for no pain and 10 will mean pain that is extremely painful.

For example, every couple of months after intense training, I have one or two vertebrae in my spine that shift out of alignment. It results in discomfort for the first few days. On the pain scale, I often rate that as 0–1 and don’t consult my chiropractor.

I manage it on my own with corrective movements provided by the specialist. As the days progressed and my training intensify, the discomfort sometimes progresses to pain that I would rate between 2 and 4 on the scale. When the pain reaches 5 – that is when I set up an appointment with my chiropractor in order for him to correct my alignment.

This scale can be used for general injuries (eg. knee, ankle, back, shoulder, chest, head, neck, etc.). Some wait until level 9 or 10 on the pain scale, and often that is too late, the damage has been done and in some cases intense treatment such as surgery may be the only solution. So we need to listen closely to our bodies.