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Nerve pain (neuropathic pain) Archive

Articles

If you have knee pain, telehealth may help

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the number one cause of chronic knee pain, affecting nearly a quarter of people 40 or older. A recent study of people with overweight or obesity and OA showed that telehealth visits can be an effective way to provide care and may even help with weight loss, which can improve symptoms and prevent OA from worsening.

Heart-safer NSAID alternatives

Common pain relievers known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) carry an added risk of heart problems. Use only what you need and for only as long as you need it. Men with heart problems should be extra cautious.

Got back pain? Can virtual reality provide real pain relief?

Chronic low back pain is a leading cause of long-lasting pain and disability worldwide. Treatment options help some people but not all, leaving millions seeking safe, effective treatment. An 8-week program using a virtual reality device aims to offers lasting relief, but valid questions about evidence of effectiveness have not yet been answered.

Tinnitus: Ringing or humming in your ears? Sound therapy is one option

Millions of people have tinnitus, a condition where a person hears a sound inside the head that does not come from any external source. There are many possible causes and no cure, but there are ways to ease the symptoms, one of which is sound therapy, which uses external sound to alter a person's perception of or reaction to tinnitus.

A single-session class offers chronic low back pain relief

A single two-hour pain management class may offer months-long relief from chronic low back pain compared with other approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy and back health education.

Curcumin for arthritis: Does it really work?

While there are many available treatments for osteoarthritis, none provide a cure or are predictably effective for all. A study suggests curcumin, a naturally occurring substance found in the spice turmeric, may help ease pain from osteoarthritis of the knee––but does it?

Help for your aching back

Short-term (acute) and chronic back pain can be managed through a variety of strategies. For short-term pain, over-the-counter pain relievers, heat, and moving as much as possible can help. Chronic back pain may require assistance from a doctor, which could include medication, physical therapy, and rarely surgery. People considering surgery for back pain should consider getting a second opinion. Surgery sometimes is not successful at relieving pain.

Drug therapy needs time to treat heart-related chest pain

Chest pain with exertion affects about one-quarter of people with stable coronary artery disease. A 2021 study found that these individuals can often eliminate their symptoms by following conservative drug therapy, without needing a stent or bypass surgery.

4 reasons for tingling or numbness in the arms and legs

There are lots of reasons for numbness or tingling in the limbs. Constant or recurrent symptoms point to a potentially serious cause. One possibility is peripheral neuropathy, which damages nerves throughout the body. Another is peripheral artery disease—a narrowing of the arteries in the limbs that reduces blood flow. Another is nerve compression, which might be caused by sciatica (irritation of the sciatic nerve in the legs) or spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal). When numbness or tingling persists, one should report the symptoms to a doctor right away.

"Pandemic posture" hurting your back? You can fix it!

"Pandemic posture" refers to poor posture from slouching at a desk or on a couch during time at home during the pandemic, and it can result in back or neck pain. To reduce pain, doctors recommend exercising every day; working with a physical therapist to learn the right way to sit up straight and how to strengthen the muscles that support the posture; using a chair with cushioning for the buttocks and support for the lower back; using a footrest; keeping a computer monitor at eye level; and using an ergonomically designed mouse and wrist pad.

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