ALPIMS • Pain & Bodily Sensitivity
What feels closest right now?
Aching, burning, headache—or pain making everything harder?
Choose one description for a small starting point. More than one can fit.
Your pain deserves care, even when its cause is not yet clear.
In Australia, call 000 for severe or worsening chest pain, a sudden severe headache, or pain with severe breathing difficulty or new stroke-like symptoms.
Go to emergency for back pain with new difficulty passing urine, loss of bladder or bowel control, or numbness around the genitals or bottom.
These are examples, not a complete list. New severe pain or pain after a significant injury needs prompt assessment.
Unsure what care you need? Use the symptom checker →A small check-in
Open whichever is most relevant today.
My muscles or joints are aching Soreness • stiffness • pain with a position or task
Adjust one source of strain: support an arm, change position or shorten the task.
Choose a comfortable position or movement. Avoid forcing a painful stretch.
When to ask for advice
New, persistent or worsening pain deserves assessment. Seek prompt care for a hot, swollen joint, especially with fever or feeling unwell.
A physiotherapist or occupational therapist may help you adapt movement and everyday tasks. The plan should consider injuries, joint instability and other health conditions.
The pain is burning, shooting or electric Tingling • altered sensation • painful touch
Reduce pressure or rubbing on the painful area. Try a comfortable position or softer clothing.
Avoid strong heat or cold on areas with reduced sensation.
What this description can tell a clinician
Burning or electric sensations can occur with nerve pain, but the description alone does not diagnose it.
Tell your clinician where the pain occurs, whether sensation has changed and whether there is weakness.
New weakness or rapidly spreading numbness needs urgent assessment. Follow your existing treatment plan for familiar, assessed symptoms.
I have a headache or migraine symptoms Head pain • nausea • light or sound sensitivity
If this is your familiar, assessed pattern, follow your headache or migraine plan.
Reduce light, sound or screen demands if that feels helpful.
Support and assessment
A quiet place and a pause in demands may make the episode easier to manage.
New or substantially different headaches need medical advice. A sudden severe headache, or headache with confusion, new weakness or fever and neck stiffness, needs urgent care.
If you frequently need headache medicines, discuss this with your clinician. Frequent use of some medicines can contribute to medication-overuse headache.
Pain is widespread—or familiar pain has flared Several areas hurt • usual activities feel harder
Use your agreed flare plan. Choose one priority and reduce other demands for now.
Ask what would make the next hour more manageable, rather than trying to fix the whole day.
A flare still deserves attention
Familiar pain can fluctuate. New symptoms, a different pattern or an unusually severe episode should not automatically be treated as a routine flare.
Persistent pain may need several kinds of support: treatment of relevant conditions, practical adaptations, rehabilitation and help with sleep or emotional distress.
Movement and activity plans need to fit your health. If exertion causes a delayed, prolonged worsening of symptoms, tell your clinician before increasing activity.
Pain is making daily tasks difficult Cooking • washing • sitting • walking • caring for others
Make one task smaller, lighter or more supported. Sit if helpful, bring items closer or ask for assistance.
Choose the version you can manage today.
Support for participation
Practical help can preserve energy for something meaningful. You do not have to wait until a task becomes impossible to ask for support.
An occupational therapist may help with equipment, task changes or your home setup. A clinician can help you plan suitable activity.
Tell your care team what pain stops you doing. Function and quality of life matter alongside a pain score.
Pain is wearing me down emotionally Worry • frustration • low mood • feeling overwhelmed
Name what you need: “I need comfort,” “I need practical help,” or “I need someone to listen.”
You do not need to feel positive about pain before receiving support.
Emotional support is part of care
Living with pain can affect mood, sleep and relationships.
Psychological pain therapies can help with coping, distress and participation. Their usefulness does not establish that pain has a psychological cause.
Therapy should respect physical limits, communication needs and sensory preferences. Tell the practitioner when a strategy makes symptoms harder to manage.
I am not sure—or the pain is somewhere else Abdominal • pelvic • jaw • other pain
Is this familiar, or new and different? New or changing pain may need assessment.
Choose a comfortable position and seek advice about the care you need.
A brief note for an appointment
- Where is the pain, and when did it start?
- What has changed from your usual pattern?
- What is it making difficult?
Mention symptoms such as fever, bleeding, vomiting, swelling or changes in sensation. You do not need a detailed diary to ask for help.
In Australia, healthdirect’s nurse advice line is available on 1800 022 222. Call 000 for an emergency.
What does the Pain domain include? A short explanation—if you want it
This ALPIMS domain includes experiences such as migraine, muscle and joint pain, nerve pain and widespread pain. These can have different causes and require different treatments.
Pain may involve tissue injury or inflammation, nerve damage, changes in pain processing, or a combination of mechanisms.
A symptom description cannot identify the mechanism. Persistent pain should not automatically be labelled central sensitisation, anxiety or trauma.
A useful assessment considers your history, symptoms, examination and how pain affects everyday life.
Read about persistent pain →Could one support help across several domains? Comfort • less load • better access to daily life
Supporting a painful joint may make a task easier. A quieter room may be useful during a sound-sensitive headache. Practical help may leave more capacity for rest or connection.
Support for sleep, worry or overload may also be relevant alongside treatment for pain.
Choose supports for their benefit to you. One helpful adjustment does not prove that every symptom has the same cause.
What is one next step?
Keep a helpful adjustment, ask for assistance, follow your care plan or arrange assessment.
Making life more manageable is a worthwhile goal, even when pain has not fully settled.
Resources & further reading
- healthdirect: Persistent pain and management
- healthdirect: Nerve pain
- healthdirect: Migraine
- healthdirect: Headaches and urgent symptoms
- NHS: Back pain and when to seek help
- Painaustralia: Information and support
General resources may need adaptation for conditions such as joint instability, ME/CFS with post-exertional malaise, or autonomic difficulties.
ALPIMS is an organising framework, not a medical diagnosis. This check-in offers general information and optional support ideas. It cannot diagnose the cause of pain or replace individual assessment, treatment or rehabilitation advice. Follow your agreed care plan. Discuss medication changes with your prescriber or pharmacist.