Assessment of musculoskeletal pain in autoimmune diseases

Correct diagnosis and right assessment are cornerstones of clinical success in the practice of pain management. Due to constant pressure on the clinician to prove his/ her efficiency, the core elements in assessment of pain are often overlooked. The pain has been considered as the ‘fifth vital sign’. A variety of pain assessment scales are available for evaluating the intensity of acute and chronic pain. Under or over-assessment of pain often lead to errors in pain management. This is mainly due to proceeding with the treatment plan without a proper clinical history collection and clinical examination. This compromises the patient’s opportunity to obtain optimum pain relief. The current review provides an overview on the pain assessment tools used in musculoskeletal pain assessment, and to assist clinicians and researchers in selecting the pain assessment methods best suited to serve their purposes.