Mankoski Pain Scale
I’ve been reading a book I got recently - it’s the best book yet on Endometriosis, because it tackles the emotional side of having Endo.
The book is called Coping with Endometriosis: Sound, Compassionate Advice for Alleviating the Challenges of This Chronic Disorder, by Robert Phillips and Glenda Motta.
In the book, I found the Mankoski Pain Scale, which I’d like to share.
In the past year, I’ve had my GYN or the E.R. ask me to rate my pain on a scale of 1 - 10, but they never explain to me what each number of the scale stands for.
So I’m left, in a state of debilitating pain, to try to remember what each number on the pain scale represents!!! And often I under-rate my pain, and am therefore not treated accordingly. :(
So I wanted to put the pain scale here for reference, and I’ve printed it out to keep it with me at all times, like I do for my emergency contact card and my pain meds.
Mankoski Pain Scale
0 - Pain free
1 - Very minor annoyance - occasional minor twinges.
2 - Minor annoyance - occasional strong twinges.
3 - Annoying enough to be distracting.
4 - Can be ignored if you are really involved in your work, but still distracting.
5 - Can’t be ignored for more than 30 minutes.
6 - Can’t be ignored for any length of time, but you can still go to work and participate in social activities.
7 - Makes it difficult to concentrate, interferes with sleep. You can still function with effort.
8 - Physical activity severely limited. You can read and converse with effort. Nausea and dizziness set in as factors of pain.
9 - Unable to speak. Crying out or moaning uncontrollably - near delirium.
10 - Unconscious. Pain makes you pass out.
Right now, my pain rates as 7.5.