I've never quite understood the pain scale that physicians and physical therapists use. It sounds simple enough. "Rate your pain on a scale from 1 to 10, with one being the least amount of pain and 10 the worst pain."
The thing is: pain can't be measured on a linear scale. It has so many dimensions, and it shifts its shape according to the noise level, the people around me, the activity that I'm trying to do, my fatigue levels, and the availability of beautiful distractions.
Asking me to describe my pain on a scale of 1 to 10 is like asking a dog to assign a letter grade A through F to rate an item she is wolfing down.
During my brother's hip replacement surgery, I observed that he was not using the pain scale accurately, and in fact was refusing to take any pain medication. I blogged about it during the silence project, here.
I've been using the pain scale a lot recently, as I visit the physical therapist 3 times weekly. During my recent reprieve, I discovered to my delight that I can play the balafon a little bit if I hold the sticks quite lightly and make sure to remain completely relaxed. Where does that fall on a scale of 1 to 10?
