Very few of us can say we’ve never felt pain in some form—whether it’s a splitting headache, a throbbing stubbed toe, or something a lot more excruciating. How much pain we can tolerate before it becomes too much seems to vary wildly from person to person. Sometimes we can suck it up and keep moving; other times, even the smallest twinge can feel utterly unbearable.
ER doctors and nurses see it all. So when someone on Reddit asked them, “Have any of your patients surprised you with their amount (or lack) of pain tolerance?” the responses did not disappoint. People chimed in with story after story. Some described unbreakable “little old ladies” whose fortitude held strong even when their bones didn’t. Others recalled patients who seemed to feel absolutely everything. We’ve gathered some of the most memorable stories below. They’re a fascinating reminder that pain is a deeply personal experience—and that the person you’d least expect might just have the highest (or lowest) pain tolerance in the room.
#21
I am a radiographer in an ER. We frequently have to move patients with broken bones to get our pictures.
The elderly have a surprisingly high pain tolerance. I've seen elderly patients move limbs with obvious breaks to accommodate our needs without a peep.
People with the least pain tolerance seem to be the younger crowd, ranging from 15-30. They whine and wail from the slightest touch. And more often than not, the ones with no breaks whine and scream the most.
The elderly have a surprisingly high pain tolerance. I've seen elderly patients move limbs with obvious breaks to accommodate our needs without a peep.
People with the least pain tolerance seem to be the younger crowd, ranging from 15-30. They whine and wail from the slightest touch. And more often than not, the ones with no breaks whine and scream the most.
16points
That’s why, as Doris Cope, MD, an anesthesiologist who leads the Pain Medicine Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, tells WebMD, “Pain is both a biochemical and neurological transmission of an unpleasant sensation and an emotional experience.” Our brains and emotions can “moderate or intensify the pain,” she explains.
#22
Not a doctor but, I recently broke my femur.
When it happened, the first 30 seconds was the most intense pain. After that I was calm, not in much pain, and joking and such. The only nothings that hurt that could get really any reaction was moving me from stretcher to bed, then xray table, and then the worst but relieving pain. They put a boot made out of soft stuff on my leg, and then they pulled (my bones were overlapped by three inches) infill the bones were a little more lined up. Then they put a weight on the end, but during that time the nurse lady saw my face in a grunting face I guess, and she said "you can cry and scream if you want" I just shook my head. My mom recently had a heart attack so I didn't want to scare her.
When it happened, the first 30 seconds was the most intense pain. After that I was calm, not in much pain, and joking and such. The only nothings that hurt that could get really any reaction was moving me from stretcher to bed, then xray table, and then the worst but relieving pain. They put a boot made out of soft stuff on my leg, and then they pulled (my bones were overlapped by three inches) infill the bones were a little more lined up. Then they put a weight on the end, but during that time the nurse lady saw my face in a grunting face I guess, and she said "you can cry and scream if you want" I just shook my head. My mom recently had a heart attack so I didn't want to scare her.
16points
#23
When i was about 12 i fell on black ice and hurt my ankle. i knew it was bad so i asked someone to call me an ambulance. i wasnt crying or anything when they put me in the ambulance. paramedics told me "its probably just a sprain".
I get my x-rays and bam...ankle broken in 3 places and foot dislocated. i saw the paramedic as i was leaving the hospital and he told me he thought it was nothing because i dint make a peep.
i did shed a tear about a week late because my leg was hurting. i get to the hospital and the doc says "we'll cut your cast off but i dont think we're gonna find anything"... he leaves, the nurses take the cast off and my entire leg is green,black,purple,blue and im pretty sure some new colors that no one has ever seen before. also had a bunch of pressure blisters. so the doc walks in looks like hes in shock when he sees my leg and then leaves without saying a word. then a new doc comes in and gave me a cool cast that i could take off to air out and look at my leg.
my pain tolerance tends to f**k me over. also f**k that doctor.
I get my x-rays and bam...ankle broken in 3 places and foot dislocated. i saw the paramedic as i was leaving the hospital and he told me he thought it was nothing because i dint make a peep.
i did shed a tear about a week late because my leg was hurting. i get to the hospital and the doc says "we'll cut your cast off but i dont think we're gonna find anything"... he leaves, the nurses take the cast off and my entire leg is green,black,purple,blue and im pretty sure some new colors that no one has ever seen before. also had a bunch of pressure blisters. so the doc walks in looks like hes in shock when he sees my leg and then leaves without saying a word. then a new doc comes in and gave me a cool cast that i could take off to air out and look at my leg.
my pain tolerance tends to f**k me over. also f**k that doctor.
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16points
#24
I had a patient who was on his motorcycle with his child and was hit in an intersection by a drunk driver running a red light. Fortunately, it was right in front of the ER. The guy and kid get thrown off the bike. The guy got up, ran to his kid and picked him up, and walked in the front door of the ER, maybe a block away. He got sent to me (xray) pretty quick and no pain meds had set in yet. He was taking the minor positioning I had to do like a champ and didn't really do more than flinch. I quickly saw he had a mid shaft femur fracture in one leg and the other legs tibia and fibula were completely shattered right above the ankle. And he had a calcaneous fracture and dislocated AC joint as well. Adrenaline can give you balls of steel.
Also, just last night, I had a cop with BOTH shoulders dislocated during an altercation... Yet he managed to get up, relocate his right shoulder, and taze the guy twice before his shoulder dislocated again. He was in pain but not anywhere near enough for me to think both shoulders were out. He's gonna need his moms help for a while.
Also, just last night, I had a cop with BOTH shoulders dislocated during an altercation... Yet he managed to get up, relocate his right shoulder, and taze the guy twice before his shoulder dislocated again. He was in pain but not anywhere near enough for me to think both shoulders were out. He's gonna need his moms help for a while.
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16points
Ultimately, there’s no universal way to experience or respond to pain. What leaves one person writhing in agony might barely faze another—and you can’t always tell who’s who until the moment arrives. After all, as these stories show, a serious injury doesn’t necessarily mean a dramatic reaction, and a seemingly minor injury doesn’t always come with a brave face.
Chances are, you have a few stories of your own. Let us know about the most painful injury you’ve ever experienced—or the one you expected to hurt a lot more than it actually did—in the comments.
#25
I was a tech in the ER when the EMTs brought in an elderly woman with what they said was a sprained ankle. She had slipped while mopping a floor at work and her coworker had called it in. Turned out she had broken both of the bones in the lower part of her leg, but was sweetly chatting with us. I was impressed as soon as I saw the xrays. EMTs had no idea and had splinted her ankle over where her bones were broken.
14points
#26
I'm a nurse who use to work in orthopaedics. The amount of people who would guzzle oral morphine was unbelievable. Older adults, esp little old ladies, would just take 2 paracetamol and would be totally fine!
14points
#27
I'm an oncology nurse. My patients have some of the highest pain tolerances I have ever seen. They literally have tumors taking over entire cavities in their bodies. Huge massess pressing on places that aren't supposed to be pressed on and literally eroding through their skin and they will ask me for pain meds "when I have a second". It amazes me.
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14points
#28
Patients in a sickle cell crisis. I've pushed up to 14 mg of Dilaudid, one-two milligrams at a time, into these patients without a resulting change in vital signs or mentation.
However, I've also seen young men competing in rodeos who have been stomped by a bull a few times come in with broken ribs and a pneumothorax saying, "It's just a scratch" and declining pain medications.
However, I've also seen young men competing in rodeos who have been stomped by a bull a few times come in with broken ribs and a pneumothorax saying, "It's just a scratch" and declining pain medications.
13points
#29
ER nurse here, there are of course exceptions to the rule but generally I see elderly with a much higher tolerance to pain than younger patients. An 87 year old lady can have a fall, break her hip and be resting comfortably barely complaining of pain but a man in his 20s can come in with the same type of fall and barely be bruised and be writhing off of the bed. Of course it can pain med seeking behavior, cultural differences in age, or just the the people in general but this seems to be what I see on one a daily basis.
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13points
#30
5 year old child with a severed finger, half hanging off, cool as a cucumber and not even upset. Mum was in hysterics.
12points
#31
First time posting.
When I was 8 I managed to squash 3 of my toes with an anvil and I kept on walking. My dad (Former EMT) said that he didn't know how I was still walking around.
We bandaged it up and went to my doctor's on an emergency call thing he used to do and they took an X-Ray and came in with this really weird look on his face. I shattered 8 bones and they had to do surgery to rebuild my foot.
I've since been st**bed twice (In quick succession) and the admitting nurse wondered how I was concuss while nearly bleeding out.
When I was 8 I managed to squash 3 of my toes with an anvil and I kept on walking. My dad (Former EMT) said that he didn't know how I was still walking around.
We bandaged it up and went to my doctor's on an emergency call thing he used to do and they took an X-Ray and came in with this really weird look on his face. I shattered 8 bones and they had to do surgery to rebuild my foot.
I've since been st**bed twice (In quick succession) and the admitting nurse wondered how I was concuss while nearly bleeding out.
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12points
#32
I had a patient, 60 something male, who had three of his fingers mostly amputated by a snow blower at about the level of the second knuckle. He came in with his fingers hanging from skin flaps and was totally stoic. Not only was he a zero out of ten for pain, his vitals were rock steady. No alteration in heart rate or blood pressure. He kept joking around about it... "Ah just cut em off, they'll grow back." This guy remained a zero out of ten for THE ENTIRE TIME even when they "just cut em off..." His biggest concern was getting out of the ER in time to watch a football game. B****s m**********r.
STARK CONTRAST are the patients I get who scream bloody m****r and cry when the blood pressure cuff is pumped up on their arm. Grown adults. Are you kidding me?? Also screaming and crying is only going to make your BP go up causing that cuff to squeeze tighter and tighter.
STARK CONTRAST are the patients I get who scream bloody m****r and cry when the blood pressure cuff is pumped up on their arm. Grown adults. Are you kidding me?? Also screaming and crying is only going to make your BP go up causing that cuff to squeeze tighter and tighter.
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12points
#33
I have a high pain tolerance, but if you think im turning down a shot of morphine when offered to me in a sterile setting...hah!
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11points
#34
EMT here-
I once took a kid (about 18, 19) to the ER screaming all the way... for sunburn. SUNBURN. I mean, yeah, sunburn isn't fun, but this kid was claiming 9/10 pain and whimpering. I was astounded. Charge nurse and I giggled about it for weeks.
Edit: a lot of you have suffered from some horrendous sunburn it seems. Ouch! That does sound like some squirm-inducing pain. This guy was barely pink and hadn't tried anything on his own yet.
I once took a kid (about 18, 19) to the ER screaming all the way... for sunburn. SUNBURN. I mean, yeah, sunburn isn't fun, but this kid was claiming 9/10 pain and whimpering. I was astounded. Charge nurse and I giggled about it for weeks.
Edit: a lot of you have suffered from some horrendous sunburn it seems. Ouch! That does sound like some squirm-inducing pain. This guy was barely pink and hadn't tried anything on his own yet.
10points
#35
I've had a few patients in triage swear that their pain was 10/10 while eating, drinking, laughing, playing on cell phone. I'll chart whatever number that they said and then put in the notes, "patient laughing (insert verb or emotion)". I had one nurse that when a patient would say a certain number, she'd hand them a card that would say, "At a pain level of 7 you would be sweating, vital signs would be elevated, you would be nauseated and probably vomiting," then she'd ask, "You sure you're a 7?" 9/10 would change their answers.
10points
#36
I broke my wrist when I was 12, after a bad bike crash. I flipped the handle bars and landed on my neck and slid a couple dozen feet. The impact shattered my helmet.
Anyway, in the ER, nurses are setting up an IV in the arm that wasn't injured when I explained I landed on my neck and it was hurting. They asked where so I instinctively used my broken wristed hand to point. Every single person in the room goes "ooooh" and just kind stops and looked at me, and I guess I was in shock because I kinda just looked around like "w*f happened...".
Anyway, in the ER, nurses are setting up an IV in the arm that wasn't injured when I explained I landed on my neck and it was hurting. They asked where so I instinctively used my broken wristed hand to point. Every single person in the room goes "ooooh" and just kind stops and looked at me, and I guess I was in shock because I kinda just looked around like "w*f happened...".
10points
#37
My grandmother wouldn't take pain medicine. Not sure why, but even getting dental work done, she didn't want numbing agents. The ONLY time I know that she took pain meds was some Aspirin after getting T-boned while driving and hurting her shoulder.
She passed away last year from ALS a few weeks before her 80th birthday. She was the most independent person I've ever known and even having to rely on her kids for help, she didn't complain.
She passed away last year from ALS a few weeks before her 80th birthday. She was the most independent person I've ever known and even having to rely on her kids for help, she didn't complain.
10points
#38
I don't think my pain tolerance is really any higher than normal, but I've surprised a few people.
When I was about 5 years old I fell and took a pretty good chunk of skin off the side of my head. We went to the emergency room, I was still crying pretty loudly, and got into the room. My dad pulled the doctor aside and told him, "don't surprise him, just tell him exactly what you're going to do and you'll have the best patient ever."
So the doctor did. He explained that he'd have to shave around the wound, scrub it with a brush to remove any dirt, clean it again, and then bandage it. I said ok and let him get to work. I sat quietly, wincing occasionally while he scrubbed my open scalp, but didn't cry or freak out. I knew exactly what he was doing so the pain was completely expected and I saw no reason to really react.
The doctor was absolutely amazed and said he'd try that with all his patients.
The two other times are more recent, one was a 6.5 hour tattoo session with no breaks after which my artist called me a psycho. The other was when I broke a bone in my hand and told the ER doc that my pain was maybe a 3 or 4 on their scale.
Edit: Remembered another one. I split my scalp open on the antenna of an F18 and needed stitches/staples. It was almost 3 hours before a doctor was finally ready to start stapling me up and by that time I was sick of waiting while still oozing blood. He realized he had forgotten the numbing agent and I told him, "doc, look at how many tattoos I have. Do you really think a few staples are going to bother me?" He looked a little horrified for a moment, asked me if I was sure, and then finally stapled me up. 10 staples.
When I was about 5 years old I fell and took a pretty good chunk of skin off the side of my head. We went to the emergency room, I was still crying pretty loudly, and got into the room. My dad pulled the doctor aside and told him, "don't surprise him, just tell him exactly what you're going to do and you'll have the best patient ever."
So the doctor did. He explained that he'd have to shave around the wound, scrub it with a brush to remove any dirt, clean it again, and then bandage it. I said ok and let him get to work. I sat quietly, wincing occasionally while he scrubbed my open scalp, but didn't cry or freak out. I knew exactly what he was doing so the pain was completely expected and I saw no reason to really react.
The doctor was absolutely amazed and said he'd try that with all his patients.
The two other times are more recent, one was a 6.5 hour tattoo session with no breaks after which my artist called me a psycho. The other was when I broke a bone in my hand and told the ER doc that my pain was maybe a 3 or 4 on their scale.
Edit: Remembered another one. I split my scalp open on the antenna of an F18 and needed stitches/staples. It was almost 3 hours before a doctor was finally ready to start stapling me up and by that time I was sick of waiting while still oozing blood. He realized he had forgotten the numbing agent and I told him, "doc, look at how many tattoos I have. Do you really think a few staples are going to bother me?" He looked a little horrified for a moment, asked me if I was sure, and then finally stapled me up. 10 staples.
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10points
#39
I was chatting with my physiotherapist one day about pain tolerance & she said that she once had a co***ne ad**ct as a patient who's tolerance was absolute zero. She couldn't even touch him without him perceiving it as painful, let alone stretch or manipulate his body. She said he was a very challenging case.
9points
#40
Not an doctor or nurse but this happened to me. I completely shattered my knee and part of my leg after I was running and slipped on some ice into a stone wall. I was with a group of friends and all they saw was me slide and hit the wall, they came over and asked if I was okay. In a normal voice I said I couldn't move my leg, no tears, screaming or anything. No one believed me but after a minute or two I convinced them to call 911, the whole time I was waiting for ambulance (about 30 minutes) I was talking to them normally and no one believed I was actually hurt until I started going in and out of consciousness, right as the paramedics got there I started to wake up. They got out and they didn't think anything was wrong until they cut my pants off and saw my femur was almost protruding out of my leg, I had no knee cap and tops of the tibia and fibia were protruding out. They took me to hospital (no d***s in the ambulance) as I was joking around with them (i.e. asking if I'm allergic to anything I told the apparently stone walls) they got me to hospital and rushed me into ER the doctors came over and were shocked I wasn't screaming or crying. Then about an hour after the initial injury the pain finally started in once they started moving the leg about 3 doses of morphine (because one wasn't enough) and one of Demerol I don't remember the next couple days besides bits and pieces. But all the nurses and doctors told me I had one of the highest pain tolerances they have seen. Although I imagine it wasn't really my choice mostly the brain just shutting it down because I was in so much shock and had so much trauma.
7points