Term	Definition	Example
Pain history	A structured set of questions a clinician uses to understand a patient's pain: when it started, what it feels like, how bad it is, where it is, and what makes it worse or better.	"I'd like to take a pain history, if that's all right."
Onset	When the pain first started and how it began — suddenly or gradually. Heard here in a routine GP consultation rather than an emergency setting. — recall Ep. 03/11/18	"Can you tell me about the onset of the pain?"
Character of pain	What the pain actually feels like — the quality a patient uses to describe it: dull ache, sharp, stabbing, throbbing.	"How would you describe the character of the pain?"
Severity	How bad the pain is, typically measured on a numerical scale. The clinician uses a plain 1-to-10 scale without naming any formal scoring tool. — recall Ep. 11	"On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate the severity?"
Pain scale	The 1-to-10 numerical tool a clinician uses to quantify a patient's pain and track its range, rather than a diagnostic instrument. — recall Ep. 03/09	"Can you rate the pain on a scale of one to ten?"
Radiation / radiate	Whether the pain spreads from its original site to another part of the body. Heard here in a calm GP context rather than a high-acuity one. — recall Ep. 18	"Does the pain radiate down the leg at all?"
Tenderness	Pain felt when a specific area is touched or pressed during a physical examination — elicited by the examiner, distinct from pain the patient reports unprompted.	"There's some tenderness around the kneecap."
Intermittent	Pain that comes and goes rather than being constant — a key timing descriptor in any pain history.	"Is the pain constant, or would you say it's intermittent?"
Exacerbating / relieving factors	What makes the pain worse (exacerbating) and what makes it better (relieving) — taught and asked about as a pair.	"What are the main exacerbating and relieving factors?"
Localised / referred pain	Localised pain stays in one place; referred pain is felt in a different area from its actual source.	"The pain appears to be localised rather than referred."

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