Medical history to assess chronic pain

Your health professional will obtain your medical history by asking questions related to:

• Your general medical history, past illnesses, and overall health.
• Your pain: how long it has lasted, whether you have had it before, how it was treated, and what relieves your pain.
  • Describe your pain: where, how severe, how often?
  • Do any movements or activities make it better or worse?
  • Do you have burning sensations, a pins-and-needles feeling, or shooting pain?
  • What medications or other treatments have you tried? Were they effective? Any side effects?
• Your family history of chronic pain: whether other members of your family have had it and how it was treated.
• Prescription and nonprescription medications that you are taking.
• Any history you have of alcohol or drug dependence.
• Any complementary or alternative medicine therapies that you are using or have tried including supplements, such as herbs.