PATIENT STORIES

Ivan
My pain feels like a dull stabbing, throbbing pain right in the centre of my lower spine. If I don't get up out of the chair my leg goes numb and progressively works its way up so my whole leg becomes disabled.
Naimh
My pain feels somebody kneading really hard into my lower back, the whole time. When I'm having a bad day it's like somebody piercing my hip with a long needle.
Willeke
My pain feels like the sensation you get when a rubber band is tied around your upper arm when a nurse is taking bloods. My arms and legs can feel like this for hours on end.
William
My pain feels like a stabbing knife in my back, and it feels like it’s inserted into my spine and twisting. I also sometimes get shooting, electric type pain, which is very intense.
Andrea
My pain feels like a crushing feeling at the top of my neck initially like something is crushing, crushing down on my body all the time. A terrible pressure that's there.
Sonya
My pain feels like someone has pulled my leg out of its socket. And my ankle pain feels like I've sprained it when I walk.
The ‘my pain feels like…’ initiative aims to improve the way patients and doctors communicate via the ‘my pain questionnaire’, helping yourself to describe your pain and your doctor to diagnose your pain. If you and your doctor have a better common understanding of the pain you are suffering from, treatment success can be higher and you might be able to avoid trial and error treatment approaches. Play an active role in the treatment process and take the print out of the ‘my pain questionnaire’ to your next doctor’s appointment.

If you would like to learn more about different kinds of pain, click here.