What is a Pain Journal and Why Are They Important?
In previous posts, we have discussed the importance of properly documenting your disability. In this post we are going to discuss one way you can document your disability—pain journals.
A pain journal is exactly what is sounds like—a journal in which you document your pain levels and symptoms each day. Creating this sort of record will not only provide you with documentation when filing your disability claim, but will also allow you to effectively communicate with your treatment providers regarding your symptoms, so that they can provide you with appropriate care. Oftentimes, depending on your disability, you will go several days or weeks without speaking to your treatment providers. A pain journal can help you easily recall and communicate to your treatment provider everything that has happened since you last met with them.
Tips for Creating a Pain Journal
When creating a pain journal, you want to be as specific as possible so that your record is complete. You also want to make sure that you describe your plain clearly, so that you will be able to understand what you meant when you refer back to your journal.
Here are a few things you might consider documenting in your journal:
- The location of the pain.
- The level of the pain (if you use a numeric scale, be sure to also describe the scale).
- The duration of the pain.
- Any triggers to the pain.
- Any medications you are taking.
- Whether the medications you are taking are effective or have any adverse side effects.
- Any other symptoms in addition to the pain.
When filling out your pain journal, you may have a hard time coming up with a description that fits the type of pain you are experiencing, since all pain is not the same. However, you should avoid the temptation to document your pain in a generic way. The type of pain you are experiencing is just as important as your pain levels, and it is something that your disability insurer will likely ask you to describe.
To that end, here is a list of adjectives that are commonly used to describe pain:
Cutting; Burning; Cramps; Knots; Deep; Pulsing; Sharp; Shooting; Tender; Tight; Surface; Throbbing; Acute; Agonizing; Chronic; Dull; Gnawing; Inflamed; Raw; Severe; Stabbing; Stiff; Stinging
Sample Pain Journals:
American Pain Foundation Form:
American Cancer Society Form:
Peace Health Medical Group Form:
