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(Patrik Giardino/Getty Images)
When is it good to hurt a little, and when is it bad?
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Your bones, joints, and muscles can act up in a variety of ways, from arthritis to osteoporosis. Talk to others with aches and pains about what works for them.
Most cases of back pain resolve within a matter of weeks or months. But for some it becomes a constant problem, which, if ignored, can result in depression, disturbed sleep, impaired balance, and a withdrawal from the pleasurable activities of life.
Unlike arthritis, this condition does not affect the joints. Instead, it causes widespread pain and achiness in the body's muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Numbness, tingling, and the sensation of swelling of the hands are other common symptoms. The disorder cannot be cured, but symptoms can be managed.
By age 60, almost everybody has OA in at least one joint. All those years of bending and lifting and twisting and turning wears down the cartilage that caps the ends of bones, resulting in painful inflammation. Treatment focuses on easing the discomfort.
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Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. It often progresses without symptoms or pain. Although it occurs in both men and women, women are four times as likely to develop osteoporosis than men.
Most often the onset of this autoimmune disorder is marked by fatigue, weakness, low-grade fever, or loss of appetite and weight. Such symptoms may or may not be accompanied by mild joint stiffness or pain.
In scoliosis, the spine has an abnormal side-to-side curvature. If left untreated, it can lead to chronic back pain and progressive spinal deformity, and can even affect the heart or lungs. Most cases, however, are mild. Scoliosis cannot be cured, but it is highly treatable.
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Heart surgeon Charles Fraser with Rachel Parrish, 9, at Texas Children's Hospital. He operated on Rachel in 1997, 1998, and 2001 to treat her for hypoplastic left heart syndrome. (Kevin Horan/Aurora for USN&WR)
Out of 5,189 hospitals only 3 percent are ranked in one or more specialty. Johns Hopkins tops the Honor Roll.
New England is home to many of the best health plans in the country. U.S. News and NCQA review 684 plans.
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