In Chronic Pain? Try Psychotherapy
Talk therapy and biofeedback are two treatment options.
Pain: Diseases and Conditions
Info on prevention, symptoms, tests, treatment, and management of pain.
Content developed with the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic, and Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Back Pain
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.
Fibromyalgia
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.
Headache
It's the most common reason people skip work and school. Headache pain results when nerves of the blood vessels and head muscles are activated and send pain signals to the brain, though it's not clear why these signals are activated in the first place. Especially in the case of migraines, they tend to run in families.
Kidney Stones
When a stone is in the kidneys, many people are totally unaware of its presence. If shape and size permit, kidney stones sometimes pass without significant discomfort after they break loose. However, even a small stone can wreak havoc as it moves down the urinary tract.
About | Prevention | Symptoms | Tests | Treatment | Managing
Osteoarthritis
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.
About | Prevention | Symptoms | Tests | Treatment | Managing
Rheumatoid Arthritis
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.
Shingles
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The pain of shingles can be intense and feel unrelenting. It may be itching, stabbing, or shooting. Three to four days before the telltale blisters develop, you may feel sluggish or have a fever, chills, a headache, an upset stomach, diarrhea, or difficulties with urination.
About | Prevention | Symptoms | Tests | Treatment | Managing
