THE ADVIL PAIN EQUITY PROJECT - Describing and Documenting Your Pain for Care

Oct 12, 2026

THE ADVIL PAIN EQUITY PROJECT guide explains pain as a signal of injury or illness and emphasizes the need to address racial disparities in pain assessment and treatment. It is designed to help Black people communicate more effectively with doctors by learning how to describe pain clearly, identify common pain terms, and track symptoms over time. The guide provides definitions for types of pain and common sensations, practical tips for doctor conversations, a pain questionnaire, and a daily pain scale with notes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

THE ADVIL PAIN EQUITY PROJECT

Describing and Documenting Your Pain for Care

Commonly Used Terms

Tips for Describing Your Pain

Pain Questionnaire

Describing My Pain

THE ADVIL PAIN EQUITY PROJECT Describing and Documenting Your Pain for Care Pain is an uncomfortable feeling that usually signals an injury or illness. Its purpose is to let you know that you must do something (or stop doing something). The presence of pain often means that something is wrong, so do not ignore it. Your health matters. There is a deep-rooted history of the healthcare system ignoring, dismissing, and undertreating Black people’s pain. This dangerous trend stems from myths about biological differences between Black and white people—which was used to justify slavery. A 2016 study revealed that many white medical students and residents believe Black people feel less pain than white people.1 Immediate action must be taken to rectify racial disparities in pain management. You deserve quality health care. This guide was created to assist Black people in pain to receive the necessary care and treatment by improving communication with a doctor or other medical professional. By using this guide, you will learn how to: Clearly describe the pain you are feeling Assess and track your pain over time Download this guide and have it easily accessible on your phone or tablet during your next doctor’s appointment. Copyright © 2023 BLKHLTH, Inc | Design & Illustrations by Arella Warren 2 Documenting Your Pain COMMONLY USED TERMS In this section, you will find commonly used words when describing pain—these terms can help you identify “types” of pain and explain “how it hurts.” | Types of Pain | | | | --- | --- | --- | |

Acute | | Acute pain is typically related to an illness or injury and lastsa relatively short time—anywhere from a few minutes to three months.2 | |

Chronic | | Chronic pain, also called constant or persistent pain, is any pain that lasts longer than three months. The pain can be continuous or off-and-on. Chronic pain can have several causes, such as a health condition or psychological factors like stress, anxiety, and depression.3 | |

Neuropathic | | Neuropathic pain is caused by nerve damage or damage to other parts of the nervous system. Some people who experience neuropathic pain describe it as a shooting, stabbing, or burning pain that “feels like pins and needles.” | Nociceptive (naa-ki-sep-tuhv) pain can be acute or chronic and is often caused by an external injury, such as burning your hand, breaking a bone, or stubbing your toe. This pain is often felt in the joints, muscles, skin, tendons, and bones. How it Hurts Below are commonly used terms to describe how pain feels in the body, with accompanying images to show how it may feel. Shooting Burning Stinging Surface Tingling Aching Deep Stabbing Numb Gnawing Sharp Dull 3 Documenting Your Pain TIPS FOR DESCRIBING YOUR PAIN The first step in helping your doctor understand your pain is effectively describing it. Here are some topics to cover when talking to your doctor about any pain you are experiencing. Describe how severe the pain is Let your doctor know if the pain makes daily activities more difficult. Think about how the pain affects your life, from the minute you wake up to when you go to bed. Consider whether you can concentrate effectively at work, prepare meals, or perform household chores efficiently. Describe what your pain feels like It would help if you used specific words like sharp, stabbing, dull, aching, burning, shocking, tingling, throbbing, deep, pressing, tender, splitting, etc. Describe where on your body you feel pain Explain if you have pain in one or several places or if the pain seems to move around. The location of your pain can indicate that you have symptoms of an underlying condition. Describe how often you feel pain Explain if the pain lasts momentarily, a few hours, days, weeks, months, or persists all the time. Describe what makes your pain feel better or worse For example, explain if the pain worsens during a part

FAQs

What is the goal of this guide for people experiencing pain?

The guide helps Black people in pain receive necessary care by improving communication with a doctor or other medical professional.

How does the guide suggest describing different types of pain?

It explains commonly used terms, including acute, chronic, neuropathic, and nociceptive pain, and it suggests using specific descriptive words for how pain feels.

What tools does the guide provide to help track and communicate pain?

It includes a pain questionnaire to mark where pain occurs and a pain scale to rate average pain on a typical day, with space for notes or comments.

Oct 12, 2026

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