When you tell a doctor you’re having pain, he or she will typically ask you to rank it on a scale of one to ten. But if you say “five,” does the doctor really know what you’re feeling? Is your five the same as someone else’s five? And what if you aren’t able to verbally communicate? How will your physician know what you’re feeling without your saying anything?
New research has uncovered a tool that lets doctors accurately assess your pain without needing your input.
A team of scientists from Stanford University tested 24 subjects who had an arm heated to the point of moderate pain.