Issues to be aware of when visiting a pain clinic

  Pain is a very complex phenomenon that can only be experienced and described by the patient, which can be of great help to the doctor in deciding what treatment to adopt. Therefore, the patient and family members should reflect the following issues to the doctor during the consultation: the location and time of the initial onset of pain and whether there is any trigger for the pain to appear.  The characteristics of the pain, such as whether it is sudden, severe, and relieved quickly, or whether it is constant, vague, or intermittent, and whether there are signs of pain radiating to distant areas.  Whether the pain affects sleep and limits daily activities.  Whether there are methods to relieve the pain, such as adopting a certain posture or position, etc.  Feedback information after medication, such as what medication has been used, how effective it is, how long it takes to relieve pain, etc.  Whether the pain is accompanied by other symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, etc.  Any factors found to reduce or aggravate the pain.