Pain Is More Than Just A Number

Wellness and Recovery

May 22, 2026 · Dr. Andrew Vargas

Did you know pain has an official medical and scientific definition?

The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) puts it this way: “An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage.”

First set out in 1979 and revised in 2020, that definition has shaped how researchers, doctors, and bodies such as the World Health Organization approach pain worldwide.

What is striking about it is how personal pain turns out to be. It is not merely a physical sensation; that part has its own name, nociception. Everyone feels pain differently. Life experience, emotion, existing health conditions, relationships, stress, belief, and environment all shape how it feels and what it costs you.

Biological, psychological, and social factors interact in complicated ways to shape pain. Since no two people are alike, there is no single treatment that fits everyone.

At Ivy en Rose we take your experience of pain seriously. We respect each patient's account of it, and we listen closely to how it is affecting your life. How you describe your pain tells us about you as a whole person, not just about what does or does not appear on a scan.

In your consultation with Dr. Vargas, the focus is not a single body part. It is you.

Some pain is a normal part of being alive, and it even protects us from harm. When it starts taking away the things you love, though, it is time to act. Elbow pain that ends golf or tennis, back pain that makes travel a chore, knee pain that stops you running: pain narrows your freedom and your quality of life a little at a time.

You deserve to be heard, understood, and supported.

Pain is also more than a number on a scale. During your visits we will not ask you to rate it from 1 to 10, because that tells us far less than the fuller picture.

How are you sleeping? Can you work? Have you given up things you used to enjoy? Is it affecting your mood, your weight, your blood sugars, your relationships? Has it started to spread, or to take up more room in your life?

Those are the questions worth asking.

Our aim at Ivy en Rose is not simply to "fix" pain. It is to help you get function back, rebuild your confidence, and give you the best chance of carrying on with a healthy, active life for as long as possible.

Stevens B. Revisions to the IASP definition of pain-What does this mean for children? Paediatr Neonatal Pain. 2021 Mar 27;3(3):101-105. doi: 10.1002/pne2.12047. PMID: 35547949; PMCID: PMC8975187.