Michigan Spine & Pain

Mt. Pleasant, Gaylord, & West Bloomfield, MI

 

Schedule Your Appointment Today

1-800-586-7992

Mt. Pleasant, MI – 989-772-1609
West Bloomfield, MI – 248-851-PAIN (7246)

Menu
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Why Michigan Spine and Pain
    • Our Mission
    • Testimonials
    • Close
  • Physicians & Staff
    • Dr. Marvin Bleiberg
    • Dr. Herman Ruiz
    • Stuart A. Firsten, DC
    • Dr. Brian Emrys, D.C.
    • Amy McDonald, MSPT
    • Adam Wilson, PA
    • Shara Wohlscheid, PA-C
    • Close
  • Real Pain, Real Solutions
    • Diagnosis
      • Spinal Stenosis
      • Herniated Disc / Bulging Disc / Protruding Disc
      • Cervical / Neck Pain
      • Degenerative Disc Disease
      • Fibromyalgia
      • Headaches
      • Hip Pain
      • Low Back Pain
      • Knee Pain
    • Treatment
      • Chiropractic Treatment
      • Acupuncture
      • Physical Therapy
      • Spinal Decompression Therapy
      • ExoMind
      • Comprehensive Multi Specialty Pain Relief
      • Interventional Procedures
      • High Power Therapy/Photobiomodulation
      • Technology
      • Patient Care
    • Close
  • Resources and Forms
    • Patient Portal
    • Pay My Bill
    • Care Credit
    • No Surprises Act
    • Request Medical Records
    • Close
  • Locations
    • West Bloomfield
    • Mt. Pleasant
    • Close
  • Contact Us

The Language of Pain

I want to talk about pain and I want to share with you a multiple choice test question someone once shared with me that really got my attention.

Q: Which emoji would you choose to describe each of the following four words: (FYI, for our friends who don’t text, emoji are those cute pictures people use when texting…)

Emoji quiz

 

 

 

 

A: Get it?  It’s not difficult to see. There are multiple ways to talk, different language people can choose to use and even different pictures for the very same word. For one person vacation is a plane; another’s vacation is a tent.

Talking about pain is no exception. Your pain comes on with agony like a lightning strike; mine makes my whole day sad. The way you experience your pain and the way I experience my pain are so very different that often times describing it on a scale of 1 to 10 is insufficient for conveying important information to people like healthcare providers. Talking about pain effectively requires a degree of confidence. One has to believe that the language of pain is truly understood. Patients and doctors, patients and family and even patients and other patients must feel secure that they are effectively communicating “pain” with one another. I like the article recently published in the New York Times entitled “How to Talk About Pain” (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/opinion/sunday/how-to-talk-about-pain.html?_r=0), because it presents intelligent insight on the subject of pain and communication.  The author, Joanna Bourke, Professor of History at London’s Birkbeck College is also the author of “The Story of Pain: From Prayer to Painkillers.”  If you are interested in exploring further, Bourke’s  book is worth  reading.

Filed Under: Patient Experience Tagged With: assessing pain, talking about pain

Real People, Real Relief

Getting you back to your active life: that is the philosophy that Michigan Spine & Pain follows. Read more.

  • images (1)
  • images (2)
  • images (3)
  • images (4)
  • images (5)
  • images (6)
  • images
  • MISP_Blog-3_ID-No._94983727-1
  • 109709590_3239691509407631_2736773273530187624_n

Real Relief

  • Spinal Stenosis
  • Herniated / Bulging / Protruding Disc
  • Cervical / Neck Pain
  • Degenerative Disc Disease
  • Headaches
  • Hip Pain
  • Low Back Pain
  • Knee Pain
  • Fibromyalgia
  • view all

Real Solutions

  • Pain Relief
  • Interventional Procedures
  • Chiropractic Treatment
  • Physical Therapy
  • Acupuncture
  • Patient Care
  • Technology
  • view all
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Locations

Mount Pleasant, Michigan
2935 Health Parkway., Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858

West Bloomfield, Michigan
6079 W. Maple Rd., West Bloomfield, MI 48322

Privacy Policy

Our Sister Company

Copyright © 2025 Michigan Spine & Pain | Managed by Access Technology