“Visualisation of Pain: Exploring the pain experience through Body Map and the Visual Analogue Scale”

Chronic pain is a complex and subjective experience that varies significantly among individuals, presenting challenges for effective communication and treatment. This study explores the utility of pain visualisation tools, specifically body maps and visual analogue scales (VAS) in capturing and conveying the nature of chronic pain. Thematic analysis revealed several themes emerged from the analysis including the Variability of Pain Representations, theme two identified was Subjectivity of Pain Representations, theme three identified was Utility of Body Maps and theme four identified was the Mixed Impact of Body Map on Cognitive and Emotional Perceptions of Pain. Content analysis revealed Red (5) was the most popular colour choice, followed by Black (3), Pink (2), Orange (2) and Blue (1). No participants used the colours Green or Yellow to describe their pain. The findings emphasis the importance of visual tools, especially body maps in clinical settings however, the subjectivity and variability of pain poses challenges in implementing a standardised approach for these tools. Further research into enhancing body maps such as intensity scales, expanded colour options and digital tracking overtime could help address these challenges. Additional research could focus on the impact of visual tools on cognitive and emotional perceptions of pain and the potential for cognitive restructuring.