Purpose: Pain is subjective, for optimal pain-treatment pain-assessment is required. Self-reporting instruments are recommended. This can be a challenge in postoperative care when patients are affected by sedation and ability to participate is reduced. Aim: Primary aim of the study was to evaluate patients’ ability to participate in pain-assessment with Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) during the first 120 minutes of postoperative care, ability was then analyzed in relation to time and patient characteristics. Secondary aim was to examine if the patients´ preferred NRS or VRS for pain-assessment at the Post Anesthesia Care Unit. Design: Quantitative with longitudinal design based on repeated observations. Method: Pain-assessments with NRS and VRS every 30 minutes during the first 120 minutes of postoperative care. Analysis preformed; descriptive, chi-square, Fischer’s´ exact test and McNemar’s test. Results: A significant larger proportion had ability to participate with VRS compared to NRS at all timepoints. Ability to participate with NRS significantly improved during the first 90 minutes. For NRS there was a relation implying less ability to participate for elderly, those affected by sedation and with severe illness. For VRS there was no relation between ability and patients´ characteristics. For pain-assessment women and elderly patients preferred VRS, men and younger patients preferred NRS. Conclusion: With VRS as a complement to the commonly used NRS more patients, early in postoperative care and especially among elderly, are given the opportunity to participate and self-assess their pain in accordance with guidelines at the Post Anesthesia Care Unit.