The Numeric Rating Scale, or NRS, is the most commonly used clinical tool to help patients communicate how much back pain or neck pain they are experiencing. To use the Numeric Rating Scale, choose the number between 0 (no pain) and 10 (worst possible pain) that best describes the intensity of back pain you feel. As you can see, 5 is moderate pain. So ratings between 0 and 5 would correspond to pain that is moderate, mild or nonexistent, while ratings between 5 and 10 would express moderate to severe to off-the-charts pain.
Source:
Gould, H.J. III, M.D., Ph.D. (2007). Understanding Pain. Saint Paul, MN: Demos.
