0 No pain
1 Occasional pain effectively managed by Aspirin, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, one tablet, three times a
day or less – or by opioids with no limitations on activities of daily living.
2 Frequent pain, managed only by 1 or more tablets of ASA, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, every
four hours – or by opioids with slight impairments of activities of daily living.
3 Frequent pain, not effectively managed by NSAIDs, requiring an opioid medication, with mild
restrictions on activities of daily living
4 Frequent pain, moderately affecting activities of daily living, but still controlled by opioid
medications
5 Frequent or almost constant pain. Contained by opioids, but still causing significant limitations
on activities of daily living and occasionally causing the patient to be house or bed confined
6 Constant pain, moderately contained by opioids, but with frequent limitations of activities of
daily living. Frequently causes confinement to bed or the house.
7 Constant pain, only partially contained by opioids at the doses prescribed, with continuous
limitation of activities of daily living
8 Constant pain, frequently disabling, making most activities of daily living difficult if at all
possible
9 Constant pain, uncontained by prescribed medications and doses, completely disabling of
activities of daily living, requiring interventions or assistance by others, preventing any form of employment
and fully qualifying the patient for Social Security Disability
10 Intolerable pain requiring emergency room treatment, generally with opioid injections.
This scale amalgamates pain with functional assessment and is an excellent resource to permit scoring of pain
based on definitive criteria rather than loose and undefined gradations.
Pdf version of pain scale for printing.