Hi Ali,

I think the Wong Baker is very successful for young children whose own faces usually tell all and can readily recognise what each face means.

I am wondering if there is any point to us using a pain score and that it is best used in acute situations post op or post accident etc because chronic pain sufferers have so many variables as to why and how they feel pain and why and how some seem to tolerate it better than others.

Ali, if you were to tell a doctor that you had 8/10 pain, according to the common 0-10 pain scale it would mean you would be probably unable to carry on a conversation, let alone sit and write about it on a forum, so he may think you are embellishing your pain.---THIS DOESN'T MEAN IT IS THE CASE. but I do think we are best to use descriptive words rather than numerical scores.
It maybe a reason many of us have so much difficulty making family and friends understand our pain when our behaviour does not match their preconceived idea of what a 8 or 9/10 pain score would feel like.

I hope I am making sense?? I guess what I am really saying is that this way of pain scoring will never truly represent what RSD/CRPS people endure--maybe we should formulate a new way and we may have less trouble getting through to others.
Any ideas?
cheers and Happy New Year
Tayla