this is going to be a surprise for him

Have you thought of the "Pain Scale" one to ten rating with sad to happy faces

What about an aural painting? (As in "aura", radiating from the central figure/silhouette, an expression of peace and energy combined).

I spent many months in pain management and I would not have been able to relax if there were pictures of syringes, etc. in the treatment room or the doctors office. I strongly agree that something in greens would be soothing from a patients point of view. As for the subject matter, some people find mountains relaxing, others like rivers or streams, I personally like tropical islands with palm trees and blue water and sandy beaches soothing. So something lovely in nature might be a good idea. Even though your gift is meant to be a surprise, asking him what he would like should be ok because just telling him you are making it for him will be a surprise in itself. He may enjoy it more if it has his personal touch in the design.

A friend of a friend was in a support group for cancer therapy. Everyone made an image to represent pain. The one I saw was an appliqued wasp, which certainly represented pain for me.

However, my doc has a very large number of quilts in his office. His Mil makes them. Their purpose is distractive. I think I posted my garden maze quilt. Several years back, my teacher made a spectacular one with oriental fabrics for her DH's oncologist, who posted that in her office.

ditto :)

I agree with everyone else - a quilt that actually conveys "pain" isn't really conducive to the point of his practice. I too, would go with something soothing and relaxing.

Thank you all for the advice. I like the idea of cool colors and the soothing outdoors.Now to come up with something.

How about a "bridge over troubled waters" type wall hanging - I love the woods, water, little wooden bridges, bird in a tree - find that sort of scene peaceful & relaxing.
Do let us know what you decide & post a pic once its finished!

Definitely go with a soothing quilt rather than depicting pain.