OET Rx (Student Pre-Class)

Lesson 19: Vocabulary for Pain Assessment

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Course Progress

Overall Progress Lesson 19 of 100

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Part 1: Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Use a systematic framework (like SOCRATES) to conduct a thorough pain assessment.
Utilize a rich vocabulary of descriptive adjectives to define the character of pain.
Differentiate between the language used to describe nociceptive and neuropathic pain.
Accurately document a detailed pain history in a patient's medical record.

Lesson Video

Coming Soon

This video will be available for the offline course version.

Part 2: Vocabulary & Examples

Study the words, their pronunciations, Persian translations, and example sentences to understand how they are used in context.

General Vocabulary

indicate /ˈɪndɪkeɪt/:

اشاره کردن

The way you indicate the location of the pain with a sweeping hand motion suggests it is diffuse rather than localized.

individual /ˌɪndɪˈvɪdʒuəl/:

فرد

Each individual experiences pain differently, so it is my job to understand your unique experience.

influence (v.) /ˈɪnfluəns/:

تأثیر گذاشتن

Does stress or lack of sleep influence the severity of your headaches?

inform /ɪnˈfɔːrm/:

اطلاع دادن

This detailed pain assessment will inform our decision on the most appropriate type of analgesia for you.

information /ˌɪnfəˈmeɪʃn/:

اطلاعات

The information you provide about what relieves the pain is a crucial clue for diagnosis.

initial /ɪˈnɪʃl/:

اولیه

My initial assessment is that this is musculoskeletal pain, but I need to ask a few more questions.

initially /ɪˈnɪʃəli/:

در ابتدا

Initially, the pain was only in your back, but now you say it radiates down your leg?

injure /ˈɪndʒər/:

آسیب زدن

Can you recall a specific incident where you might have injured your back?

injured /ˈɪndʒəd/:

آسیب‌دیده

I am going to gently examine the injured area; please tell me if this causes any discomfort.

injury /ˈɪndʒəri/:

آسیب

Is this pain related to your previous knee injury, or does it feel entirely different?

inside /ˌɪnˈsaɪd/:

داخل

The patient described a deep, aching pain, feeling as if it was coming from inside the bone.

insist /ɪnˈsɪst/:

اصرار کردن

I understand you insist the pain is 10/10, so I need to understand what that number means for you and your ability to function.

instance /ˈɪnstəns/:

مثال

Can you give me a specific instance when the pain was at its absolute worst?

instead /ɪnˈsted/:

به جای

Instead of a constant ache, do you ever experience sharp, stabbing pains?

instruction /ɪnˈstrʌkʃn/:

دستورالعمل

My instruction is to use this pain diary to record the severity of your pain four times a day.

instrument /ˈɪnstrəmənt/:

ابزار

A pain scale is a simple but vital instrument for objectively tracking the progress of your treatment.

intend /ɪnˈtend/:

قصد داشتن

I intend to get a full picture of your pain before we even discuss treatment options.

interest (n.) /ˈɪntrəst/:

علاقه

Of particular interest to me is the fact that the pain is worse at night.

internal /ɪnˈtɜːnl/:

داخلی

The character of the pain suggests it might be visceral, originating from an internal organ.

interpret /ɪnˈtɜːprɪt/:

تفسیر کردن

How I interpret your description of the pain helps me to form a differential diagnosis.

interpretation /ɪnˌtɜːprɪˈteɪʃn/:

تفسیر

My interpretation of "burning" and "tingling" pain is that there may be a neuropathic component.

interrupt /ˌɪntəˈrʌpt/:

قطع کردن

I apologize for having to interrupt, but I need to ask you a very specific question about the timing of the pain.

Medical Vocabulary

Analgesia /ˌænəlˈdʒiːziə/:

تسکین درد

We need to find the correct type and dose of analgesia to manage your post-operative pain effectively.

Character (of pain) /ˈkærəktər/:

ویژگی (درد)

Describing the character of the pain is essential; is it sharp, dull, burning, stabbing, or throbbing?

Exacerbating Factors /ɪɡˈzæsərbeɪtɪŋ ˈfæktərz/:

عوامل تشدیدکننده

Are there any exacerbating factors? For instance, does coughing or moving a certain way increase the pain?

Neuropathic Pain /ˌnjʊərəˈpæθɪk peɪn/:

درد نوروپاتیک

Patients often describe neuropathic pain with words like "burning," "shooting," "electric shocks," or "pins and needles."

Nociceptive Pain /ˌnoʊsiˈseptɪv peɪn/:

درد نوسیسپتیو

A broken bone causes nociceptive pain, which is usually well-localized and described as aching or throbbing.

Radiation (of pain) /ˌreɪdiˈeɪʃn/:

انتشار (درد)

Does the chest pain have any radiation? For example, does it travel to your arm or jaw?

Referred Pain /rɪˈfɜːrd peɪn/:

درد ارجاعی

Gallbladder problems can often cause referred pain in the right shoulder, which can be a confusing symptom for the patient.

Relieving Factors /rɪˈliːvɪŋ ˈfæktərz/:

عوامل تسکین‌دهنده

Are there any relieving factors? Does rest, heat, or a particular position make the pain feel better?

Severity Score /səˈverəti skɔːr/:

امتیاز شدت

If you could give the pain a severity score, where 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst imaginable, what would it be right now?

Threshold (pain) /ˈθreʃhoʊld/:

آستانه (درد)

Different individuals have a different pain threshold, which is why a severity score is a personal, subjective measure.

Part 3: Pre-Class Practice Tests

Reading Task (Longer & More Professional):

Excerpt from "The Clinical Journal of Pain Management"

Accurate pain assessment is a cornerstone of effective management, yet it remains one of the most challenging tasks in medicine. A primary difficulty lies in differentiating between nociceptive and neuropathic pain. Nociceptive pain, which arises from tissue damage or inflammation, is typically described as aching, throbbing, or sharp and is often well-localized. In contrast, neuropathic pain, resulting from nerve damage or dysfunction, is frequently described as burning, shooting, or like electric shocks, and may be associated with sensory changes such as numbness or tingling. This distinction is critical because the two types of pain respond differently to treatments. For instance, nociceptive pain often responds well to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or opioids, whereas neuropathic pain may require medications such as gabapentin or amitriptyline, which target nerve-related mechanisms. Accurate identification through a thorough pain history using frameworks like SOCRATES ensures appropriate therapeutic choices, improving patient outcomes and reducing the risk of ineffective or harmful treatments.

Question: According to the text, why is it clinically important to differentiate between nociceptive and neuropathic pain?

Neuropathic pain always has a higher severity score than nociceptive pain.

They require fundamentally different types of medication for effective treatment.

Nociceptive pain is a more reliable indicator of serious internal injury.

Listening Task (Part A Simulation):

Scenario: You will hear a physiotherapist examining a patient with shoulder pain.

0:00

Task: Complete the notes below. Write one or two words for each gap.

Physiotherapy Assessment Notes

Patient Complaint: Pain on (1)

Objective Findings:

Limited (2) of motion, especially abduction.
Palpation reveals significant (3) over the supraspinatus tendon.
No visible bruising or (4)

Working Diagnosis: Supraspinatus (5)

Part 4: Answer Key for Pre-Class Work

Reading Answer: b) They require fundamentally different types of medication for effective treatment.

Listening Answers: (1) lifting arm, (2) range, (3) tenderness, (4) swelling, (5) tendinopathy

Part 5: In-Class Preparation

Be prepared to discuss the vocabulary and practice the following tasks in class.

Speaking Task: OET Role-Play Card (Medicine)

Setting: An Emergency Department cubicle.
Patient: A 45-year-old male presenting with acute, severe abdominal pain. He appears distressed.
Task: Greet the patient and introduce yourself. Explain that you need to ask some specific questions to understand the pain better. Conduct a systematic pain history using the SOCRATES mnemonic: Site, Onset, Character, Radiation, Associations, Timing, Exacerbating/Relieving factors, Severity.

Writing Task:

You are the doctor from the speaking scenario. After assessing the patient, you write your initial notes. Write the "S" (Subjective) section of your SOAP notes, accurately documenting the detailed pain history you gathered using the SOCRATES framework.

Proceed to Lesson 20

OET Rx

In this lesson, you will be able to: