SOURCES:

ICSI health care guideline: assessment and management of chronic pain, 2^nd ed. Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, 2007.

Bajwa, ZH, Warfield, CA, Wooton, RJ. Overview of the treatment of chronic pain. UpToDate, 2008.

Jann, MW, Slade, JH. Antidepressant agents for the treatment of chronic pain and depression. Pharmacotherapy 2007; 27(11):1571-1587.

Clark, M. Managing chronic pain, depression and antidepressants: issues and relationships. The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center, 2008.                                       

Clark, M. Benefits and risks of opioids in arthritis management. The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center, 2008.

Ohayon, MM, Schatzberg, AF. Using chronic pain to predict depressive morbidity in the general population. Arch Gen Psych 2003; 60(10):39-47.

Tsao, JCI. Effectiveness of massage therapy for chronic, nonmalignant pain: a review. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2007; 4(2):165-179.

Ballantyne, JC. Opioids for chronic nonterminal pain. Southern Medical Journal 2006; 99(11): 1245-1255.

Lillefjell, M, Krokstad, S, Espnes, GA. Prediction of function in daily life following multidisciplinary rehabilitation for individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain: a prospective study. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 2007.

Understanding Your Score

Overall Chronic Pain Score

The overall Health Check score is comprised of a Health Score, a Well-Being Score, and a Knowledge Score.

Health Score

A team of medical experts at WebMD developed the Health Score to help men and women who have chronic pain better understand how factors related to their diagnosis and treatment can impact their life. The Health Score reflects the current status of health – something that is not always within control of the patient. This score may not be accurate in those who have had pain for less than 3 months. The answers to some questions will affect both Health and Well-Being scores.

A Chronic Pain Health Score of:

30 to 40

• A score from 30 to 40 reflects an overall fairly healthy state with well-managed pain. Pain is present, but it is controlled and it is not significantly impacting everyday activities. People with this score should continue to manage their pain well but let their doctor know right away if it worsens. Staying on top of pain is important for preventing loss of function.

10 to 29

• A score from 10 to 29 reflects someone whose pain is only partially controlled and moderately affects their everyday activities. Learning more about options for pain relief may help a person with this score make decisions to better control pain and decrease its effect on activities.

Less than 10

• A score lower than 10 reflects someone whose pain is poorly controlled and significantly affects their everyday activities. People with this score should talk with their doctor to learn more about specific actions they can take to better manage their pain. 

WebMD presents the Chronic Pain Health Score for general information purposes only. It may not be accurate for everyone with chronic pain. It is not intended to be a substitute or replacement for an evaluation by a qualified medical provider. Only your doctor can determine which diagnostic procedures and medical treatments are right for you. Treatments of chronic pain can be highly variable. The Health score is based only on the current answers provided and may vary widely between Chronic Pain Health Check sessions.

Well-Being Score

A team of medical experts at WebMD developed the Well-Being Score to help people examine how much their pain and their ability to cope affect their overall sense of well-being and participation in life’s activities.

A Well-Being Score of:

37 to 50

• A score of 37 to 50 generally reflects someone whose overall well-being and participation in normal life activities is only minimally affected by pain.

13 to 36

• A score of 13 to 36 generally reflects someone whose overall well-being and participation in normal life activities is moderately affected by pain.

Less than 13

• A score lower than 13 generally reflects someone whose overall well-being and participation in normal life activities are severely affected by pain.

Knowledge Score

A team of medical experts at WebMD developed the Knowledge Score to help people become better informed about chronic pain and thereby make better decisions.

A Knowledge Score of:

8 to 10

• Indicates excellent overall understanding of chronic pain and how to manage it

4 to 7

• Suggests an adequate base of knowledge about chronic pain upon which to build

Lower than 4

• Suggests that lack of knowledge about chronic pain may be affecting a person’s understanding of the condition and its management