My pain levels do not match your time period. How do I answer?

Knowing how to mark pain severity or function can be difficult.

If the question asks for a specific time period, such as the last 4 weeks, you should try to focus on that. If it asks about the last 6 months, it may be harder to remember, but you’re looking for an average of how you were over that period.

It’s perfectly normal to have high function at one point in the day and then worse function later or the next day. In the end, these kinds of questions are about your impressions about yourself, so there is no right or wrong answer. You just have to go with what you feel is right.