OVERVIEW
Pain management is important for ongoing pain control, especially
if you suffer with acute or chronic pain. After getting a pain
assessment, your doctor can prescribe pain medicine or other pain
treatments to help you get pain relief. Sometimes psychotherapy is also
useful in learning new coping skills to help deal with pain.
Symptoms & Types
The feeling of physical pain can vary greatly - mild, sharp, severe, dull. Learn the symptoms for different types of pain, so you can describe them to your provider
Back pain could be a sign of spinal fractures. Yet not everyone feels a clear-cut spinal pain when this happens. Some feel pain in the abdomen and not the back. Your provider can use the necessary diagnostic tools to determine this.
Effects of Chronic Pain
Is it mild, moderate, or severe pain? Know the difference and when to get help.
Is Neck and Back Pain Affecting Your Life? Get an objective viewpoint on pain’s affect on your quality of life.
Knee Pain
The knee consists of three bones: the femur, tibia, and patella. There are three compartments to the knee. The main joint of the knee is called tibiofemoral joint that includes the medial and lateral compartments. The patella and the femur form the patellofemoral joint. This is the third compartment of the knee.
Injuries Some common injuries include:
Piriformis Syndrome
Is a neuromuscular disorder that occurs when the sciatic nerve is compressed or otherwise irritated by the piriformis muscle causing pain, tingling and numbness in the buttocks and along the path of the sciatic nerve descending down the lower thigh and into the leg. Diagnosis is often difficult due to few validated and standardized diagnostic tests, but one of the most important criteria is to exclude sciatica resulting from compression/irriation of spinal nerve roots, as by a herniated disk. The syndrome may be due to anatomical variations in the muscle-nerve relationship, or from overuse or strain.
Back Pain
The causes of back pain can be complex -- accidents, muscle strains, sports injuries. Stiffness, pain, lower back pain, and pain radiating down the leg are symptoms of back pain. Symptoms of back pain may include:
When to see your provider
Most back pain gradually improves with home treatment and self-care. Although the pain may take several weeks to disappear completely, you should notice some improvement within the first 72 hours of self-care. If not, see your provider
In rare cases, back pain can signal a serious medical problem. Contact your provider if your back pain:
Neck and Shoulder Pain
Overexertion, pinched nerves -- all sorts of joint and muscle problems can cause neck and shoulder pain.
Neck and shoulder pain can be classified in many different ways. Some people experience only neck pain or only shoulder pain, while others experience pain in both areas.
What Causes Neck Pain? Causes of neck pain include:
Whiplash
A car accident or any abrupt jerking motion to the head and neck -- and suddenly you have serious neck, shoulder, back pain. Standard X-rays of the neck may not
show any injuries.
whiplash is a non-medical term describing a range of injuries to the neck caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck associated with extension.
Whiplash is commonly associated with motor vehicle accidents, usually when the vehicle has been hit in the rear; however, the injury can be sustained in many other ways, including falls from stools, bicycles or horses. It stands out as one of the main injuries covered by the car insurers. In the United Kingdom, 430,000 people made a claim for whiplash in 2007 (75% of the UK's motor insurance claims), accounting for 14% of every driver's premium.
Muscle Pain
Use your muscles incorrectly, too much, too little -- and you’ve got muscle pain. The most common causes of muscle pain are tension, stress, overuse and minor injuries. This type of pain is usually localized, affecting just one or more muscles or parts of your body. Systemic muscle pain, which you feel throughout your body, is different. It's more often the result of an infection; an illness, such as fibromyalgia or polymyalgia rheumatica; or a medication, such as a statin, and should be evaluated by your provider.
Sciatica Pain
When your rear or leg muscles worsen when sitting for a long period of time, climbing stairs, walking, or running -- it might be sciatica. is a set of symptoms including pain that may be caused by general compression and/or irritation of one of five spinal nerve roots that give rise to each sciatic nerve, or by compression or irritation of the left or right or both sciatic nerves. The pain is felt in the lower back, buttock, and/or various parts of the leg and foot. In addition to pain, which is sometimes severe, there may be numbness, muscular weakness, pins and needles or tingling and difficulty in moving or controlling the leg. Typically, the symptoms are only felt on one side of the body. Pain can be severe in prolong exposure to cold weather. Although sciatica is a relatively common form of low back pain and leg pain, the true meaning of the term is often misunderstood. Sciatica is a set of symptoms rather than a diagnosis for what is irritating the root of the nerve, causing the pain. This point is important, because treatment for sciatica or sciatic symptoms will often be different, depending upon the underlying cause of the symptoms.
Arachnoiditis
is a neuropathic disease caused by the inflammation of the arachnoid, one of the membranes that surround and protect the nerves of the central nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord. The arachnoid can become severely inflamed because of adverse reactions to chemicals, infection from bacteria or viruses, as the result of direct injury to the spine, chronic compression of spinal nerves, or complications from spinal surgery or other invasive spinal procedures. Inflammation can sometimes lead to the formation of scar tissue and adhesions which can cause the spinal nerves to "stick" together. This can be extremely painful especially if the last stage "Adhesive Arachnoiditis" is diagnosed, although clinical findings may not match pain levels. In other words it may appear mild on an MRI scan but the patient may be experiencing a great amount of pain.
(Neuropathy)
Neuropathy may be associated with varying combinations of weakness, autonomic changes, and sensory changes. Loss of muscle bulk or fasciculations, a particular fine twitching of muscle, may be seen. Sensory symptoms encompass loss of sensation and "positive" phenomena including pain. Symptoms depend on the type of nerves affected (motor, sensory, or autonomic) and where the nerves are located in the body. One or more types of nerves may be affected. Common symptoms associated with damage to the motor nerve are muscle weakness, cramps, and spasms. Loss of balance and coordination may also occur. Damage to the sensory nerve can produce tingling, numbness, and pain. Pain associated with this nerve is described in various ways such as the following: sensation of wearing an invisible "glove" or "sock", burning, freezing, or electric-like, extreme sensitivity to touch. The autonomic nerve damage causes problems with involuntary functions leading to symptoms such as abnormal blood pressure and heart rate, reduced ability to perspire, constipation, bladder dysfunction (e.g., incontinence), and sexual dysfunction.
Symptoms & Types
The feeling of physical pain can vary greatly - mild, sharp, severe, dull. Learn the symptoms for different types of pain, so you can describe them to your provider
Back pain could be a sign of spinal fractures. Yet not everyone feels a clear-cut spinal pain when this happens. Some feel pain in the abdomen and not the back. Your provider can use the necessary diagnostic tools to determine this.
Effects of Chronic Pain
Is it mild, moderate, or severe pain? Know the difference and when to get help.
Is Neck and Back Pain Affecting Your Life? Get an objective viewpoint on pain’s affect on your quality of life.
Knee Pain
The knee consists of three bones: the femur, tibia, and patella. There are three compartments to the knee. The main joint of the knee is called tibiofemoral joint that includes the medial and lateral compartments. The patella and the femur form the patellofemoral joint. This is the third compartment of the knee.
Injuries Some common injuries include:
- Sprain (Ligament sprain)
- Medial collateral ligament
- Lateral collateral ligament
- Anterior cruciate ligament
- Posterior cruciate ligament
- Tear of meniscus
- Medial meniscus
- Lateral meniscus
- Strain (Muscle strain)
- Quadriceps muscles
- Hamstring muscles
- Popliteal muscle
- Patellar tendon
- Hamstring tendon
- Popliteal tendon
Piriformis Syndrome
Is a neuromuscular disorder that occurs when the sciatic nerve is compressed or otherwise irritated by the piriformis muscle causing pain, tingling and numbness in the buttocks and along the path of the sciatic nerve descending down the lower thigh and into the leg. Diagnosis is often difficult due to few validated and standardized diagnostic tests, but one of the most important criteria is to exclude sciatica resulting from compression/irriation of spinal nerve roots, as by a herniated disk. The syndrome may be due to anatomical variations in the muscle-nerve relationship, or from overuse or strain.
Back Pain
The causes of back pain can be complex -- accidents, muscle strains, sports injuries. Stiffness, pain, lower back pain, and pain radiating down the leg are symptoms of back pain. Symptoms of back pain may include:
- Muscle ache
- Shooting or stabbing pain
- Pain that radiates down your leg
- Limited flexibility or range of motion of your back
- Inability to stand straight
When to see your provider
Most back pain gradually improves with home treatment and self-care. Although the pain may take several weeks to disappear completely, you should notice some improvement within the first 72 hours of self-care. If not, see your provider
In rare cases, back pain can signal a serious medical problem. Contact your provider if your back pain:
- Is constant or intense, especially at night or when you lie down
- Spreads down one or both legs, especially if the pain extends below your knee
- Causes weakness, numbness or tingling in one or both legs
- Causes new bowel or bladder problems
- Is associated with pain or throbbing (pulsation) in your abdomen, or fever
- Follows a fall, blow to your back or other injury
- Is accompanied by unexplained weight loss
Neck and Shoulder Pain
Overexertion, pinched nerves -- all sorts of joint and muscle problems can cause neck and shoulder pain.
Neck and shoulder pain can be classified in many different ways. Some people experience only neck pain or only shoulder pain, while others experience pain in both areas.
What Causes Neck Pain? Causes of neck pain include:
- Abnormalities in the bone or joints
- Trauma
- Poor posture
- Degenerative diseases
- Tumors
- Muscle strain
- Strains from overexertion
- Tendonitis from overuse
- Shoulder joint instability
- Dislocation
Whiplash
A car accident or any abrupt jerking motion to the head and neck -- and suddenly you have serious neck, shoulder, back pain. Standard X-rays of the neck may not
show any injuries.
whiplash is a non-medical term describing a range of injuries to the neck caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck associated with extension.
Whiplash is commonly associated with motor vehicle accidents, usually when the vehicle has been hit in the rear; however, the injury can be sustained in many other ways, including falls from stools, bicycles or horses. It stands out as one of the main injuries covered by the car insurers. In the United Kingdom, 430,000 people made a claim for whiplash in 2007 (75% of the UK's motor insurance claims), accounting for 14% of every driver's premium.
Muscle Pain
Use your muscles incorrectly, too much, too little -- and you’ve got muscle pain. The most common causes of muscle pain are tension, stress, overuse and minor injuries. This type of pain is usually localized, affecting just one or more muscles or parts of your body. Systemic muscle pain, which you feel throughout your body, is different. It's more often the result of an infection; an illness, such as fibromyalgia or polymyalgia rheumatica; or a medication, such as a statin, and should be evaluated by your provider.
Sciatica Pain
When your rear or leg muscles worsen when sitting for a long period of time, climbing stairs, walking, or running -- it might be sciatica. is a set of symptoms including pain that may be caused by general compression and/or irritation of one of five spinal nerve roots that give rise to each sciatic nerve, or by compression or irritation of the left or right or both sciatic nerves. The pain is felt in the lower back, buttock, and/or various parts of the leg and foot. In addition to pain, which is sometimes severe, there may be numbness, muscular weakness, pins and needles or tingling and difficulty in moving or controlling the leg. Typically, the symptoms are only felt on one side of the body. Pain can be severe in prolong exposure to cold weather. Although sciatica is a relatively common form of low back pain and leg pain, the true meaning of the term is often misunderstood. Sciatica is a set of symptoms rather than a diagnosis for what is irritating the root of the nerve, causing the pain. This point is important, because treatment for sciatica or sciatic symptoms will often be different, depending upon the underlying cause of the symptoms.
Arachnoiditis
is a neuropathic disease caused by the inflammation of the arachnoid, one of the membranes that surround and protect the nerves of the central nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord. The arachnoid can become severely inflamed because of adverse reactions to chemicals, infection from bacteria or viruses, as the result of direct injury to the spine, chronic compression of spinal nerves, or complications from spinal surgery or other invasive spinal procedures. Inflammation can sometimes lead to the formation of scar tissue and adhesions which can cause the spinal nerves to "stick" together. This can be extremely painful especially if the last stage "Adhesive Arachnoiditis" is diagnosed, although clinical findings may not match pain levels. In other words it may appear mild on an MRI scan but the patient may be experiencing a great amount of pain.
(Neuropathy)
Neuropathy may be associated with varying combinations of weakness, autonomic changes, and sensory changes. Loss of muscle bulk or fasciculations, a particular fine twitching of muscle, may be seen. Sensory symptoms encompass loss of sensation and "positive" phenomena including pain. Symptoms depend on the type of nerves affected (motor, sensory, or autonomic) and where the nerves are located in the body. One or more types of nerves may be affected. Common symptoms associated with damage to the motor nerve are muscle weakness, cramps, and spasms. Loss of balance and coordination may also occur. Damage to the sensory nerve can produce tingling, numbness, and pain. Pain associated with this nerve is described in various ways such as the following: sensation of wearing an invisible "glove" or "sock", burning, freezing, or electric-like, extreme sensitivity to touch. The autonomic nerve damage causes problems with involuntary functions leading to symptoms such as abnormal blood pressure and heart rate, reduced ability to perspire, constipation, bladder dysfunction (e.g., incontinence), and sexual dysfunction.
