Pain Archive

Adjusting your position and posture can help.

When it comes to pain in your spine, the lower back gets all the attention. But the top of your spine—your neck—is equally vulnerable to pain. It's especially important to be aware of this as we spend more time with our heads bent low over computers and cellphones. "For every 10 degrees forward the head is from a neutral position, the weight of the head on the neck increases about 10 pounds. This can place a great deal of strain on the muscles, ligaments, joints, and intervertebral discs in the neck," says physical therapist Amy Devaney, of Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

Q. Is it okay to take both aspirin and ibuprofen therapies?

A. Aspirin and ibuprofen are members of a class called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Both are used to treat painful inflammation, such as inflammatory arthritis. Many people also take aspirin to reduce the risk of heart disease. Why are you taking aspirin? If it's to reduce your risk of heart disease, then there are several reasons why you should consider not taking ibuprofen. In the past decade, multiple studies have reported that the NSAID drugs—except for aspirin and naproxen (Aleve, others)—somewhat increase the risk of heart disease. So if you are taking aspirin because you are at risk for heart disease and want to reduce your risk, I would talk to your doctor about avoiding ibuprofen—or switching to naproxen.

Aquatic therapy can reduce pain and pressure while providing an effective workout.

When you're struggling with joint pain, gravity can make exercise an unpleasant experience. But exercising in water, also known as aquatic therapy, can change all that. "It enables you to do many of the same exercises you'd do on land without applying the same force on your joints," says Gayle Olson, a certified athletic trainer at the Sports Performance Center at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain. It affects the band of tissue on the bottom of the foot that connects to the heel.

Breast pain after menopause can come in many forms

Menopause has come and gone. Why do I still have breast pain?

In most cases, breast pain is a by-product of reproductive life: Like breast swelling, it waxes and wanes during the menstrual cycle, and it's one of the first symptoms of pregnancy. Many women expect breast pain to go away after menopause. When it doesn't, they may fear they have breast cancer. Fortunately, breast pain is rarely a symptom of cancer, regardless of age. Still, that possibility should be considered, along with a number of noncancerous conditions that affect the breasts.

Paying attention to posture can help you look and feel better.

Most of us get back pain at some point in our lives. It may be due to a sports-related injury, an accident, or a congenital condition such as scoliosis. But most of the time, upper or lower back pain develops during the course of day-to-day life. Repetitive activities at work or home, such as sitting at a computer or lifting and carrying, may produce tension and muscle tightness that result in a backache. Fortunately, there's a lot we can do to prevent this sort of problem. General physical fitness and a healthy weight are important. But one surprisingly simple strategy can go a long way: Paying attention to your posture.

Q. I have a pain in my right buttock, which my doctor says is ischial bursitis. Is there anything I can do for the pain or to make the condition go away?

A. Ischial bursitis, sometimes called ischiogluteal bursitis, is an inflammation of the fluid-filled sac, or bursa that lies between the ischial tuberosity (the lower part of the V-shaped bone that helps form the pelvis) and the tendon that attaches the hamstring muscle to the bone.  It helps to understand the location of the ischial bursa is by recognizing that it’s the part of your body that bears most of the pressure when sitting in a saddle.   Injury or overuse can cause the bursa to become inflamed, swollen, and painful — a condition called bursitis. Ischial bursitis can result from sitting for long periods on a hard surface, from direct trauma to the area, or from injury to the hamstring muscle or tendon through activities such as running or bicycling.

If you have occasional flare-ups of back pain, these six steps can prevent it from becoming a chronic problem.

With changes in the aging spine, occasional backaches may grow more frequent and blossom into a chronic and disabling pain condition. It doesn't have to happen to you. To maintain the best back health possible, you have to address both the body and the mind, says Dr. Zacharia Isaac, a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Arthritis and other mobility issues shouldn't stop you from getting the exercise you need.

You've heard the same exercise recommendations over and over—30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity on most days of the week, interspersed with a couple of strength training sessions. That's great advice, but what if your joints are so sore and stiff from arthritis that you have difficulty just getting around?

Top 5 things you didn't know about older adult yoga.

When you think of yoga, you may envision young, agile athletes bent into pretzel shapes—not something that older people are often able to do. But yoga has mental and physical benefits for people of all ages, especially seniors. Here are some facts that may surprise you.