If you have suffered injury from an auto accident, a fall or some other way, you may experience temporary or permanent pain. To help you obtain fair compensation for harm done to you from others’ negligence, it is important to describe your pain accurately to an examining physician, during depositions, or when testifying on court.
Expressing pain isn’t easy, so doctors may ask a patient to rate pain on a 1-10 scale. However to help patients accurately describe their pain, the American Pain Foundation suggests using a “L-O-C-A-T-E-S” memory aid to talk about pain to a doctor.
Location of the pain and whether it travels to other parts of your body.
Other associated symptoms, such as nausea, numbness, or weakness.
Character of the pain, such as throbbing, sharp, dull, burning, or other.
Aggravating or alleviating factors, such as what helps or hurts?
Timing of the pain: how long it lasts and whether it is continuous or intermittent.
Environment in which the pain occurs.
Severity of the pain, using a 1-10 scale.