All Pain management Articles

WASHINGTON -- Those pain pills you think help your migraines? Take too many and you could make them worse. Overusing painkillers can spin migraine patients into a rut, spurring more headaches that in turn require more pain medication. A very unlucky fraction even get what's called chronic migraine, where they're in pain more days than not, and new research suggests certain prescription Read more...

If you're on pins and needles from holiday stress, a few strategically placed acupuncture needles could do the trick. It's better than aspirin for relieving headaches, according to a study published this month. "I have seen a lot of people come into my office with a lot of skepticism, and they came because someone recommended it -- possibly their doctor," said Jennifer Read more...

The American Physical Therapy Association is urging U.S. patients with musculoskeletal pain to consider treatment by a physical therapist. Lead researcher and APTA spokesman Michael Walker says a 2007 survey indicated that more than one-third of the 32,000 U.S. adults, and nearly 12 percent of children, use alternative medicine -- with back and neck pain as the top reasons for treatment. Read more...

Everyone knows a sinus infection or a major work project can make your head throb. But headaches can also be triggered by seemingly innocuous everyday activities -- like sleeping in on Saturdays or cleaning your apartment. With so many culprits, it's no wonder that one in five women suffer from migraines and nearly half of women endure tension headaches. But if you think popping a pill is the Read more...

One-half of all working Americans admit having back pain symptoms each year. Back pain is one of the most common reasons for staying away from work. In fact, back pain is the second most common reason for visiting the doctor, outnumbered only by upper-respiratory infections. Most cases of back pain are mechanical or non-organic -- meaning they are not caused by serious conditions, such as Read more...

GolfersMD.com is releasing a new series of premium quality videos featuring the top doctors, trainers and physical therapists in the country to help the millions of golfers suffering from pain and injuries. The new videos focus on the 50 most common golf-related injuries. With the start of the golf off season for much of the U.S. coming up, now is an ideal time for golfers to address nagging Read more...

QUESTION: I'm a 65-year-old woman. Last August, my right knee began hurting, and I could not bend it. I don't remember injuring it. After an X-ray that was negative, my doctor gave my knee a cortisone shot, and I followed up with physical therapy for eight sessions. That helped until I wrenched my right foot while going down a step. After nine visits to the physical therapist for my foot, I was Read more...

WASHINGTON -- Government health advisers Monday recommended approval of the first new drug in 40 years for gout, a painful joint disease that mainly strikes middle-aged men. About 5 million people in the U.S. suffer from gout, a form of arthritis caused by a build-up of uric acid in the blood. Uloric, as the new drug is called, works by reducing levels of uric acid. In healthy people, Read more...

Nov. 25 -- Chronic pain sometimes starts as a distraction, an inconvenience. After all, it's human nature to think the hurt will go away over time. Unless there's a simple solution, the main treatment is two spoonfuls of denial. Kathleen Flach, a longtime distance runner and Ultimate Frisbee competitor, played through debilitating hip pain most of the past year. As the discomfort Read more...

The daily routine of workers, including sitting for hours in front of a computer or carrying laptops while commuting, is leading to a "cocktail" of back abuse which could bring an increase in sickness absence, according to a new report. A study of 1,000 adults by MBT footwear showed that two-thirds had suffered back pain, but that half tried to deal with the problem themselves Read more...

Gout is a painful form of arthritis that has long been associated with a rich diet, and a change in that department is just one thing that can make a difference. Gout afflicts as many as 3 million Americans, mostly men, postmenopausal women and people with kidney disease, according to the American College of Rheumatology. Gout attacks are caused by a buildup of a waste product called uric Read more...

Dear Dr. Gott: Please discuss the difference between bursitis and arthritis. Dear Reader: Arthritis and bursitis can be difficult to differentiate. Arthritis is joint inflammation with associated degeneration of connective tissue and bone. Bursitis is inflammation of the bursa, a sac-like cavity surrounding joints that is filled with fluid that reduces friction caused by movement. Read more...

Sep. 7, 2008 -- In November, Ken Cohen was invited to give two lectures on qigong, the ancient Chinese therapeutic movement discipline, at that hallowed hall of Western medicine -- the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Sensing he might face a crowd of skeptics, the qigong master from Colorado surveyed the room and immediately knew what to say and what to leave out. "If you go in Read more...

The powerful painkiller that Mother Nature produces may be sitting in your kitchen cabinet. In fact, you probably ate it in the last 24 hours as part of your meal. It should come as no surprise that it is called "living gold" or "Mother nature's gold". It is more commonly called Indian saffron, haridra or jiang huang. Turmeric (Curcuma longa) consists of more than Read more...

Janine Ottley's first visit to an acupuncturist was an act of desperation. She was on a cruise to Mexico when a killer headache struck, threatening to destroy her vacation. She figured it was worth a try. "I got off the table and didn't have a headache any more," she says. "It didn't seem possible." These days, regular visits are part of her survival strategy. Long Read more...

by Krisha McCoy, MSDefinition Approximately one-third of people with cancer have pain. There are different types of cancer pain, all depending on the progression of the disease, its location in the body, and the physical condition of the patient. Causes Based on the cause of pain, researchers have defined different cancer pain syndromes, including: Pain from the tumor—Tumors can press on bone, Read more...

As told to Michelle Badash, MS, RD Patricia is a 32-year-old criminology professor at a state university. She is married and has a five-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter. They live in the suburban area where her husband grew up. What was your first sign that something was wrong? What symptoms did you experience? I first had a problem in graduate school when I developed a rapid Read more...

That tendinitis in your shoulder is really bothering you, but you'll miss your weekend football games if you sit out. Will a cortisone injection make things all better and get you back out on the field? Stopping the Pain...and the Healing? Cortisone injections, also known as cortisol or corticosteroid injections, work well at reducing pain associated with inflammation. Robert Leach, MD, Read more...

by Deborah Mitchell In 2002, the American Geriatrics Society issued guidelines that advise "extreme caution" when using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for the treatment of intermittent chronic pain. These drugs are associated with a higher frequency of side effects among older adults than younger people. For example, while NSAIDs are the most widely Read more...

(Tic Doleureux) by Diane SavitskyDefinitionTrigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a disorder of the trigeminal nerve (fifth cranial nerve) that causes severe, shooting pain along one side of the face. It senses touch, pain, pressure, and temperature. It also helps make saliva and tears.The Trigeminal Nerve© 2008 Nucleus Medical Art, Inc.In trigeminal neuralgia, pain usually lasts for a few seconds and may Read more...