Table 4.
Frequency of pain quality descriptors attributed to head and neck pain site
| Neuropathic Descriptor | Frequency (%) | Nociceptive Descriptor | Frequency (%) | Affective and Evaluative Descriptors | Frequency (%) |
| Aching | 25 (20.2%) | Beating | 4 (3.2%) | Fearful | 5 (4.0%) |
| Boring | 7 (5.6%) | Cramping | 0 (0%) | Frightening | 3 (2.4%) |
| Burning | 33 (26.6%) | Crushing | 3 (2.4%) | Terrifying | 0 (0%) |
| Cold | 0 (0%) | Cutting | 4 (3.2%) | Grueling | 4 (3.2%) |
| Cool | 1 (0.8%) | Dull | 27 (21.8%) | Punishing | 3 (2.4%) |
| Drawing | 1 (0.8%) | Gnawing | 6 (4.8%) | Cruel | 0 (0%) |
| Drilling | 3 (2.4%) | Heavy | 2 (1.6%) | Vicious | 2 (1.6%) |
| Flashing | 5 (4.0%) | Hurting | 16 (12.9%) | Killing | 1 (0.8%) |
| Flickering | 10 (8.1%) | Lacerating | 5 (4.0%) | Tiring | 31 (25%) |
| Freezing | 1 (0.8%) | Piercing | 11 (8.9%) | Exhausting | 10 (8.9%) |
| Hot | 9 (7.3%) | Pinching | 2 (1.6%) | Wretched | 2 (1.6%) |
| Itchy | 0 (0%) | Pounding | 2 (1.6%) | Blinding | 1 (0.8%) |
| Jumping | 4 (3.2%) | Pressing | 13 (10.5%) | Sickening | 0 (0%) |
| Lancinating | 1 (0.8%) | Pulling | 0 (0%) | Suffocating | 2 (1.6%) |
| Numb | 14 (3.2%) | Pulsing | 9 (7.3%) | Annoying | 51 (41.1%) |
| Penetrating | 1 (0.8%) | Rasping | 10 (8.1%) | ||
| Pricking | 2 (1.6%) | Sharp | 19 (15.3%) | ||
| Quivering | 4 (3.2%) | Sore | 40 (32.3%) | ||
| Radiating | 1 (0.8%) | Splitting | 4 (3.2%) | ||
| Scalding | 2 (1.6%) | Squeezing | 3 (2.4%) | ||
| Searing | 4 (3.2%) | Taut | 8 (6.5%) | ||
| Shooting | 9 (7.3%) | Tearing | 6 (4.8%) | ||
| Smarting | 7 (5.6%) | Tender | 43 (34.7%) | ||
| Spreading | 2 (1.6%) | Throbbing | 29 (23.4%) | ||
| Stabbing | 11 (8.9%) | Tugging | 3 (2.4%) | ||
| Stinging | 0 (0%) | Wrenching | 0 (0%) | ||
| Tight | 0 (0%) | ||||
| Tingling | 12 (9.7%) | ||||
| Min = 0 | Min = 0 | Min = 0 | |||
| Max = 11 | Max = 15 | Max = 13 | |||
| Mean = 2.5 | Mean = 2.9 | Mean = 2.2 | |||
| SD = 2.3 | SD = 2.5 | SD = 2.4 | |||