The Problems of Describing How Chronic Pain Feels.

One of the most difficult aspects of getting a diagnosis and appropriate treatment when you suffer from chronic pain, is the difficulty of expressing how the pain feels. Your doctor will inevitably ask you to describe your pain, and may offer suggestions such as burning, stabbing or aching to help you pinpoint the type of pain you are enduring. However, pain can be so variable, and the experience of it will be unique to the sufferer, so very often you may struggle to find the right words to describe what it is you’re feeling. It’s like trying to describe the peculiar noise your car is making to your mechanic – they will ask you if it’s a grinding, or a squealing, but you know it’s not really either of those. The solution is for the mechanic to take your car out for a drive and listen for the noise themselves, but when it comes to sharing your pain, your doctor can’t experience what you’re feeling.