Description Of Pain – OnCare Cancer Center Description Of Pain

How can I describe my pain?

When your physician or nurse asks about your pain you will need to communicate how your pain feels in as specific terms as possible.

When you are asked how it feels, NCI suggests using the following terminology:

dull pain - a slow or weak pain, not very sudden or strong.
throbbing pain - a pain that surges, beats, or pounds.
steady pain - a pain that does not change in its intensity.
sharp pain - pain that causes intense mental or physical distress.
acute pain - severe pain that lasts a relatively short period of time.
chronic or persistent pain - mild to severe pain that is present to some degree for long periods of time.
breakthrough pain - when you are taking medication for chronic pain, moderate to severe pain that occurs between doses (pain that "breaks through").