Pain
Everyone experiences pain at some time. It might be the result of an injury, operation, or pushing your body too hard. Headache, infection, arthritis, and other health problems cause pain. Unchecked, pain can rob you of the ability to sleep, work, and enjoy life. It can also lead to depression and anxiety.
We've come a long way from the days of "grin and bear it," or "no pain, no gain." Pain begets pain, so it's important to stop it early. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to pain relief. Standard medications can be a good option for many pain sufferers, but a wide range of effective nondrug therapies are also available.
Pain Articles
A new guideline, published online Aug. 17, 2020, by Annals of Internal Medicine, recommends using topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to treat short-term pain from injuries in places other than the lower back, such as the ankle, neck, or knee.
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There are numerous home remedies that can help ease pain associated with sciatica, including using hot or cold compresses, taking over-the-counter pain relievers, and moving and stretching.
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Trigeminal neuralgia, also known as tic douloureux, is a painful disorder of a nerve in the face called the trigeminal nerve or fifth cranial nerve. There are two trigeminal nerves, one on each side of the face. These nerves are responsible for detecting touch, pain, temperature and pressure sensations in areas of the face between the jaw and forehead.
People who have trigeminal neuralgia usually have episodes of sudden, intense, "stabbing" or "shock-like" facial pain. This pain can occur almost anywhere between the jaw and forehead, including inside the mouth. However, it usually is limited to one side of the face.
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Too much sitting can lead to a sore backside. The pain may be the result of a bulging disc in the back, irritated hamstring or buttocks muscles, or a type of bursitis. Ways to relieve pain include standing up and moving for a few minutes every hour, stretching the muscles in the buttocks, strengthening the core and back muscles, and using pillows when sitting to cushion the bones in the buttocks and support the lower back.
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A herniated disc is a common problem that can lead to nerve-related pain. Most often the problem will resolve on its own within six months, with rest and use of over-the-counter pain relievers.
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Some methods touted on the Internet to relieve arthritis pain may do little to help with joint problems, even though they seem sensible. Music therapy and meditation may provide temporary distractions to pain. Eating a high-fiber diet can help with loss of excess weight, which can reduce osteoarthritis symptoms in weight-bearing joints, but there’s no evidence it will reduce arthritis inflammation. Therapeutic massage can make sore muscles, tendons, and joints feel better, at least temporarily. Getting more sleep is important to overall health but probably won’t relieve arthritis pain.
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Osteoarthritis can be a debilitating condition, particularly when it affects the knee. People with this condition may not only have to limit their activity, but may need to restrict their social interaction because they are unable to walk and travel easily. Managing the condition can include a number of options, including medications to reduce pain; nondrug options, such as physical activity and physical therapy; and in severe cases, surgery to replace the affected joint.
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Anyone who has ever sprained their ankle, cut themselves while chopping vegetables, or been stung by a bee has seen the effects of inflammation firsthand. The pain, redness, swelling, and heat that it produces is the body's defense mechanism to fight off infectious agents like bacteria and repair tissue damage. Less obvious, but similar in process, is the inflammation that results from an infection like a cold, the flu, or COVID-19.
Injuries and infections produce acute inflammation, the body's rapid response mechanism that aims to rid itself of the dangerous invader and return it to a state of balance. A release of warning chemicals sounds the alarm, which draws an army of white blood cells to the site of injury. Some of these cells neutralize the invaders, while others clean up the damage that results from the battle. Acute inflammation typically resolves quickly, within a period of hours to days.
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A small study finds that cocoa may help ease walking pain related to peripheral artery disease.
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Doctors had been overprescribing opioids for chronic musculoskeletal pain, according to a December 2019 study in The Journal of Pain.
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