How Families Can Help
Tracking Pain Together
Why Pain Tracking Matters
Pain is invisible. But recording it makes it visible:
- You can report accurately to the doctor — "Walking distance has decreased since last month"
- Treatment effectiveness becomes measurable — Did the new medication help?
- Worsening trends are caught early — Graphs reveal patterns that memory alone misses
A Simple Approach
You don't need to record every day — two to three times a week is enough:
| What to track | How | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Pain level | 0–10 scale | Today was a 6 |
| Walking distance | Roughly | About 300 meters |
| Numbness | Present/absent + location | Left sole |
| Missed medication | Yes/no | None |
| General condition | One sentence | Went for a walk today |
For the Tech-Savvy
This site's Patient Portal lets you record symptoms on a smartphone and view graphs automatically. If you set it up on your parent's phone:
- Record daily pain with just a few taps
- Automatic graph generation (spot trends at a glance)
- Print a PDF report to bring to the doctor
[!info] About the portal Currently in beta — all features are available free of charge.