Arthritis Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, is related to age. As we grow older, the cartilage that forms a cushion between bones begins to break down. Bone rubs against bone, causing pain. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. For reasons that aren’t known, the immune system attacks healthy tissue in the joints and in other parts of the body. Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects joints on both sides of the body; over time, joints may actually become deformed. For both types of arthritis, experts agree that the best way to treat pain is to combine medication with other therapies and with lifestyle changes. To help reduce joint damage and ease discomfort, lose extra weight, follow your doctor’s recommendations for exercise and eat a balanced diet. Some people find alternative treatments such as acupuncture reduce pain; others find pain relievers to be most helpful. |
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Cancer Pain There’s no one approach to relieving cancer pain. There are so many types of cancer — breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer and cancers of the blood such as leukemia and lymphoma — and so many treatment options that it’s impossible to list everything here. Every person’s battle with cancer is unique; every person’s cancer pain is unique, too. A key to managing cancer pain is to determine its cause. The disease itself may cause pain — but pain sometimes is a side effect of cancer treatment. Treating cancer pain is an important part of an overall treatment strategy, because pain can slow your recovery. Pain may make you tired, depressed, angry and tense, and these feelings can rob you of the energy you need to heal. We develop an individualized treatment plan based on the cause and severity of your pain. We may recommend medication, non-drug treatments such as behavior therapy, interventions such as nerve blocks or a combination of methods. We will coordinate your pain plan with your cancer treatment team to make sure you are as comfortable as possible as you continue your cancer treatment. |
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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome |
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Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) |
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Degenerative Disc Diseases Despite its name, this disorder is not really degenerative or a disease. The term refers to the deterioration of a spinal disc; while this deterioration (or degeneration) tends to continue as we grow older, the symptoms do not necessarily get worse. The discs in your spine are made of a tough outer layer and a soft, jelly-like inner layer. These discs act as shock absorbers between the vertebrae. If the outer layer cracks or tears, the inner layer may come in contact with the nerves that touch the outer layer. The proteins in this inner layer may inflame the nerves and create pain. Pain from degenerative disc disease tends to flare up with certain activities and ease when the activity stops. Sitting for long periods usually causes pain, as does bending, lifting and twisting. The body reacts to the disc pain with muscle spasms, and these spasms make patients feel as if their back has "gone out." Between such episodes, a person with degenerative disc disease may experience any level of pain from an occasional twinge to chronic, disabling pain. |
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Diabetic Neuropathy More than 20 million Americans have diabetes — and at least 6 million diabetics have some sort of nerve pain related to diabetes. Diabetic neuropathy occurs when high blood sugar levels or decreased blood supply damage nerves. This damage causes burning, throbbing or painful tingling, most often in your hands or feet. Nerve pain is complicated, and standard medicines such as aspirin may not work. A wide variety of medications (from anti-seizure medications to antidepressant drugs) may be used to reduce symptoms, but not every drug works for every patient. Some people respond to alternatives such as acupuncture and capsaicin cream. If you have diabetic neuropathy, it’s important to work with your physician. Carefully controlling your blood sugar levels will help prevent the problem from getting worse. You should also make sure your blood pressure is under control and that you maintain a healthy weight. Stay active, stop smoking and avoid alcohol. |
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Facial Pain |
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Failed Cervical, Thoracic or Lumbar Surgery Failed back surgery syndrome is a general term used to describe the condition of patients who continue to have chronic, significant pain after back or spine surgery. • Cervical surgery: surgery performed at the top of the spinal canal, near the neck • Thoracic back surgery: spinal surgery in the upper back • Lumbar surgery: spinal surgery in the lower back In most cases, the goal of spinal surgery is to remove pressure on a nerve or to stabilize a painful joint. If the source of a patient’s pain is not properly diagnosed, back surgery will fail. Pain after surgery also may be caused if any spinal hardware used fails or if the patient is not properly guided through post-surgery recovery. |
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Fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia is a syndrome in which a person has long-term, body-wide pain and tenderness in the joints, muscles, tendons and other soft tissues. This disorder has been linked to fatigue, sleep problems, headaches, depression and anxiety. The cause is not known, but fibromyalgia is most common among women aged 20 to 50. Fibromyalgia’s main symptom is pain. The pain can be mild or severe; it may spread from ‘tender points’ on the back of the neck, shoulders, chest, lower back, hips, shins, elbows and knees. Fibromyalgia does not damage joints, although it may feel as if pain is coming from the joints. Some people wake up with pain that eases during the day; some have pain all day long. Exercise, cold or damp weather and stress may make pain worse, and most people with fibromyalgia say there are tired and depressed. Treatment usually starts with physical therapy, a fitness program and behavioral training in stress-relief techniques. Medication may be added to the treatment plan, and many people find support groups are helpful. |
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Herniated Discs Your spine is made up of 24 bones called vertebrae. The vertebrae are separated by discs that act as shock absorbers and make your spine flexible. When a disc is damaged, it may bulge or break open and allow its jelly-like interior to leak. You may suffer a herniated disc in any part of your spine, but this condition occurs most often in the lower back (lumbar spine). A herniated disc may be caused by an injury but often is caused by the wear and tear your back experiences as you age. A herniated disc may not cause discomfort. If it presses on a nerve, a herniated disc may cause pain, numbness or weakness. A herniated disc in the lower back can cause pain and numbness in the buttock and down the leg, a condition called sciatica. Symptoms from a herniated disc often respond to rest, heat, physician-directed exercise and medication to ease the discomfort. Sometimes, injections are needed to help reduce pain. |
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Phantom Limb Pain If you have had a limb amputated, you may experience phantom limb pain. Your brain thinks the limb is still there — perhaps because the brain remembers the pain and interprets that memory as signals from the limb, or perhaps because nerve endings at the amputation site continue to send pain signals. In addition to pain in the phantom limb, it’s possible to feel any sensation that the limb might have experienced prior to the amputation. You may feel tingling, cramping, heat or cold. Phantom limb sensations usually disappear or decrease over time, but you should seek help when phantom limb pain continues for more than six months. Treatment for phantom limb pain may include any of the following: • Heat application • Biofeedback to reduce muscle tension • Relaxation techniques • Massage of the amputation area • Surgery to remove scar tissue entangling a nerve • Physical therapy • TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) of the stump • Neurostimulation techniques such as spinal cord stimulation • Medications, including: pain-relievers, neuroleptics, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, beta-blockers, and sodium channel blockers |
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Post-Herpetic Neuralgia (Shingles) Shingles (herpes zoster) is a painful, blistering skin rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. If you had chickenpox, you are at risk for shingles, because the chickenpox virus stays in your body and can become active again after decades. If you are age 60 or older, had chickenpox when you were an infant and your immune system is weakened, you are more likely to develop shingles. Pain, tingling and burning usually occur before the shingles rash appears. The discomfort can be mildly annoying for a few weeks — or extremely painful for a longer time. Sometimes, when nerves have been damaged, the pain in the area where the shingles occurred may last for months or years. Antiviral drugs, anti-inflammatory medicines, lotions and soothing baths may be part of a program to relieve the pain and discomfort that shingles can cause. |
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Radicular Arm and Leg Pain Radicular arm and leg pain is caused by compressed or irritated nerve roots that branch from the spinal cord. The pain flows along the arms and legs; it can be a dull, aching pain but is most often described as a sharp, jabbing pain that becomes worse with specific positions or actions. The nerve compression that produces pain may be caused by injury, arthritis, cancer, stenosis or other chronic conditions or diseases. Other symptoms may include numbness, tingling or weakness. Diagnostic imaging determines the area that is affected and the extent of the problem. Treatment includes pain management strategies such as physical therapy, injection therapy and medication; in some cases, surgery may be required. |
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Sacroiliac Pain The sacroiliac joint lies next to the bottom of the spine, just above the tailbone. It connects the sacrum (the triangular bone at the bottom of the spine) with the pelvis. This joint acts as a shock absorber; it is small, strong and is surrounded and reinforced by sturdy ligaments. Most experts believe that pain in the sacroiliac is caused by abnormal joint motion — either the joint is unstable and moves too much or the joint becomes rigid and doesn’t move enough. When the joint is unstable and moves too much, you usually feel pain in your lower back and hip. If the joint doesn’t move enough, you probably feel pain on one side of your lower back, buttocks and leg. |
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Sciatica |
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Spinal Stenosis Spinal stenosis is a general term that refers to the narrowing of the spinal canal. The spinal canal is the ‘tunnel’ of bones that protects the spinal cord; when this tunnel narrows due to bone or tissue growth, this can irritate the nerves that branch out from the spinal cord. Spinal stenosis can affect any of the three major area of the spinal canal: the lumbar, or lower spine; the cervical spine, which is the neck and upper spine; and the thoracic spine, which is the middle of the spinal column. Lumbar and cervical spinal stenosis are most often caused by changes in the shape and size of the spinal canal as people age. Arthritis may encourage the growth of bony spurs; connective tissues thicken with age and discs may move out of alignment. Symptoms usually develop gradually over a long period and may include: • Stiffness, pain, weakness or numbness in the neck, shoulders, arms, hands, buttocks or legs. Pain may become worse when you walk, stand straight or lean back • Low back pain • Balance and coordination problems, such as shuffling or tripping while walking • Loss of bowel or bladder control (incontinence) Cervical spinal stenosis can be crippling if the spinal cord is damaged. The thoracic area of the spine is the most inflexible part of the spine, so thoracic spinal stenosis is rare. |
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Tennis Elbow You don’t have to play tennis to suffer from tennis elbow. ‘Tennis elbow’ is a term that refers to tendon damage that causes pain or soreness around the outside part of the elbow. Discomfort is especially noticeable when the palm is turned up. The muscles of the forearm, wrist, and hand attach at the elbow to the upper arm bone (humerus). Damage to the tendons around these muscles makes it painful to rotate the forearm and flex the wrist and fingers backwards. Tennis elbow is usually caused by repetitive hand and wrist movements. These movements may be part of everyday job activities, such as using a screwdriver. Tennis elbow may be caused by a direct blow to the tendons, but this is rare. Treatment for tennis elbow includes: • Rest, so the tendon will heal • Reducing pain and inflammation with ice and/or over-the-counter pain relievers • Strengthening and stretching the muscles to help recovery and prevent further injury • Corticosteroid injections or ultrasound therapy • Changing or eliminating activities that caused the condition Surgery is rarely needed. |
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Vertebral Compression Pain Vertebral compression pain is usually caused by a fracture. A vertebral compression fracture is often caused by trauma (for example, falling down a flight of steps), but may occur spontaneously if the vertebrae are fragile because of age, cancer or a bone infection. Vertebral compression fractures most often occur in the lower back. If you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, you may be at greater risk for a vertebral compression fracture. If you have diabetes or abuse IV drugs, you are at greater risk for a bone infection called osteomyelitis, which may contribute to a vertebral compression fracture. Symptoms of a compression fracture include pain (especially in the lower back); numbness, tingling and weakness; and incontinence or an inability to urinate. In most cases, a fracture will heal without surgery. A careful program that includes stabilizing and supporting the spine, pain management and a temporary reduction in activities gives the fracture time to heal. In some cases, additional therapies and surgery may be required. |
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Whiplash Whiplash is a traumatic neck injury that occurs when the head is snapped back and forth; it is one of the most common injuries caused by auto accidents. A person with whiplash may have damaged ligaments and nerves, torn muscles and spinal misalignments. Neck pain, headache, muscle spasms, shoulder pain, arm pain, dizziness and tingling are some of the symptoms. Usually, whiplash symptoms occur right away, but they may take days or even weeks to develop after the injury. If left untreated, whiplash may cause chronic neck or back problems that include loss of range of motion, chronic headaches and potential arthritic changes. Treatment may include pain management (including injections or medication) and a program of rehabilitative exercise. |
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