Pain

Icon for Pain

For more than 100 million Americans, conditions like arthritis, fibromyalgia, nerve damage, migraine headaches, or cancer can cause unrelenting pain. But relief is now available in new classes of drugs, yoga exercises, and inflammation-reducing diets.

Take migraine headaches, for instance, a common source of chronic pain affecting 1 in 10 Americans, most of them women. These are not just everyday headaches. Migraine symptoms also include nausea, vomiting, light and sound sensitivity, auras, and other visual disturbances. Because doctors still don’t fully understand what causes migraines, they haven’t been able to develop a cure for this condition. Treatments aim to reduce the frequency of migraine attacks and relieve symptoms when they start.

Fibromyalgia is another poorly understood condition. The estimated 5 million Americans who have this condition experience fatigue and pain in particular spots around their body. Other fibromyalgia symptoms include sleep problems, headaches, sensitivity to heat and cold, bowel issues, and memory problems.

Back problems are another source of chronic pain. Sciatica affects the lower back and legs. It starts in the sciatic nerve, which runs down the lower back, hips, buttocks, and legs. A herniated disk that puts pressure on the sciatic nerve often triggers sciatica. Spinal stenosis—a narrowing of the spine—can also put pressure on the sciatic nerve. Sciatica can be very painful, but medicines, physical therapy, and other treatments usually improve the pain within a few weeks.

Sometimes back pain can be traced to the kidneys, which are located on the back side of the body. Many people mistake kidney pain for back muscle strains. The most common causes of kidney pain are infection, kidney stones, polycystic kidney disease (in which growths called cysts form in the kidneys), bleeding, and kidney cancer. Because kidney pain can signal a more serious condition, it’s important to call the doctor for any constant, dull pain on one side of the back.

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How to Sit With Low Back Pain

· · Bones & Joints
According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), almost everyone will experience low back pain. There are many causes. Your spine is made up of bones called vertebrae separated by cushions, called discs. The vertebrae are attached to spinal muscles and to each other by ligaments and tendons. A … Read More
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How to Sleep With Sciatica

· · Bones & Joints
Your sciatic nerve is the main nerve supplying your leg. This large nerve leaves your spinal cord in your lower back and passes between the bones (vertebrae) of your spine. Pinching (compression) of the nerve where it passes between the spinal vertebrae is the usual cause of sciatica. Compression is … Read More
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Acetaminophen vs Ibuprofen: Uses & Side Effects

· · Bones & Joints
Ibuprofen is in a family of drugs called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Ibuprofen is the most common over-the-counter (OTC) NSAID. You probably know this drug by its two common brand names Advil and Motrin. Other OTC NASIDs include aspirin and naproxen (Aleve). Side effects of ibuprofen are like the other … Read More
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Pain After Chiropractor Adjustment

· · Bones & Joints
According to the National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), spinal adjustment or manipulation is usually done by a chiropractor. It is done by hand or by a device to place a sudden thrust on a joint of the spine, causing it to move more … Read More
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Is Turmeric Good for Arthritis?

· · Bones & Joints
Turmeric is a plant in the ginger family. The Latin name is Curcuma longa. Turmeric has been used for centuries in both Chinese and Indian medicine to treat diseases of inflammation like arthritis, allergy, respiratory, and digestive disorders. Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric that may give it anti-inflammatory … Read More
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Are There Stages of Multiple Sclerosis?

· · Bones & Joints
Multiple sclerosis is a long-term (chronic disease) of the brain and spinal cord that usually starts in the early adult years and lasts for a lifetime. Unlike cancer or Alzheimer’s disease that have predictable progression and stages, MS has types of disease. These types describe how MS may progress. However, … Read More

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