When Pain Doesn’t Sound Medical: How Language Shapes What Counts as Real (Dr. Danny Miller)
- Dr. Danny Miller
- May 7
- 2 min read
People often struggle to describe pain in medical terms. Learn how language and patient stories affect how pain is understood in healthcare.
Pain Is Hard to Describe
Many people find pain difficult to explain. It’s often described as vague, shifting, or hard to pin down. But this doesn’t mean the pain isn’t real — it may reflect something deeper about how we’re expected to talk about it.
A journalist once described neck and shoulder pain as “high-pitched” when it was sharp and intense, and “low-pitched” when it felt like a dull background ache. That description made sense to her — more than the typical medical language ever had. And once those words were found, it became easier to talk about what made it better, what made it worse, and how it was affecting her day-to-day life.
Why the Way We Talk About Pain Matters
In many healthcare settings, people are expected to describe pain using technical terms: stabbing, throbbing, shooting, a number on a scale. But pain doesn’t always feel like that. And when someone uses their own words — especially metaphors or emotional language — their story might be seen as unclear or unreliable. That doesn’t just lead to misunderstanding. It can make people feel dismissed or invisible.
When Words Don’t Fit
Sometimes there just isn’t a simple way to describe what pain feels like. The words most people are expected to use don’t always capture the reality of living with it. And when that happens, the problem isn’t with the person — it’s with the language we’ve come to expect.
There’s a quiet kind of harm that can happen when someone’s way of describing their pain isn’t recognised as valid. Not because it’s wrong — but because it doesn’t match a narrow idea of what pain “should” sound like.
A Broader Way to Understand Pain
Pain is more than a sensation — it’s part of someone’s story. And how it’s spoken about can shape how it’s understood and responded to. When people are encouraged to use their own words — whatever those words may be — it opens up space for better care. Language becomes a bridge, not a barrier. And pain becomes something that can be made sense of, not just measured.
Listening Without Needing Translation
Sometimes the most helpful thing isn’t translating someone’s pain into medical terms — it’s staying with the words they’ve already found. Words that make sense to them. Words that carry meaning, not just information.
A Human-Centred, Collaborative Approach
This way of working reflects a patient-centred, humanistic, and validating approach to care — one that recognises the person behind the symptoms. Rather than searching for the “right” words, the aim is to understand what the words already chosen might be pointing to.
Appointments are available at Phoenix Osteopathy, Wandsworth, where both osteopathic and psychological perspectives can be brought together to support recovery and meaning making. Danny is also available in his health psychologist capacity via the Heard Care platform.
Osteopathy Availability:
Tuesdays: 07:30 – 13:00
Thursdays: 14:00 – 18:00
Same-day appointments often available.
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