Neck Pain
What is neck pain?
Neck pain is one of the most common types of pain disorders in the general population. At any given time, 34-43% of the population report having neck pain. 14-22% percent of the general population report having chronic neck pain.1, 2 Healthcare providers consider pain to be chronic when it lasts longer than six months.
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
What is complex regional pain syndrome?
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is an uncommon nerve-related pain condition. While it can occur in any body part, it usually occurs in an arm or leg. It has a typical set of signs and symptoms in the affected body part:
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
What is chronic fatigue syndrome?
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a condition of severe exhaustion that lasts for at least six months and which is not due to a known medical or psychological disorder. The exhaustion persists despite obtaining rest. CFS occurs in 0.46 to 1% of the general population and 80% of those with CFS are women.1
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder
What is temporomandibular joint disorder?
Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD -- sometimes referred to as TMJ) is a pain disorder that occurs in the joints of the jaws, on either side of the face. Specifically, it occurs in the joints located in front of the ears, where the lower jaw joins the face. The pain is usually described as a tension-related ache, though in more advanced stages it can be a sharp pain.
Shoulder Pain
What is shoulder pain?
Shoulder pain is common. Sometimes, it occurs in an acute manner, such as in a sports injury or when it becomes dislocated. Other times, it comes and goes, such as when people have bursitis. Sometimes, it lasts longer. Tendinitis can continue for some time but can usually be improved with care. In most cases of chronic shoulder pain, it is due to osteoarthritis.
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
What is reflex sympathetic dystrophy?
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) is an uncommon nerve-related pain condition. It can occur in any body part, though it typically occurs in an arm or leg. It has a typical set of signs and symptoms in the affected body part:
Post-Surgical Pain
What is post-surgical pain?
As the name implies, post-surgical pain is pain that occurs as a result of a surgical procedure. Post-surgical pain is normal when immediately following a surgery. Such pain is usually treated with the use of medications. As patients heal from the surgery, pain typically diminishes. In a surprising number of patients, however, pain continues long after the normal healing process is completed. As such, the pain becomes chronic. Post-surgical pain is typically considered chronic when it continues for longer than six months.
Piriformis Syndrome
What is piriformis syndrome?
Piriformis syndrome is a neuromuscular condition that occurs when the piriformis muscle in the buttocks pinches the sciatic nerve. The piriformis muscle is a large muscle on each side of the buttocks. The sciatic nerve is a nerve which starts at the spinal cord in the low back, extends through the piriformis muscle in the buttock, and branches down the back of the leg, all the way to the foot.
Phantom Limb Pain
What is phantom limb pain?
Phantom limb pain is pain in a limb that has been previously amputated. When people experience phantom limb pain after an amputation, the nervous system continues to function as if the limb is still there. As a result, patients with phantom limb pain continue to feel pain in the limb that in fact is no longer present. In addition to pain, patients can feel other sensations in the missing limb, like tingling, cold or heat.
Nerve Pain
What is nerve pain?
Nerve pain is a catchall phrase that is used to refer to a loosely associated group of pain disorders. It’s somewhat of a curious use of the phrase because, in a sense, all pain is nerve pain. Pain would not occur without nerves and the nervous system. No matter what the cause of pain, messages related to the cause are nerve impulses that travel along a system of nerves in the body, including the spinal cord and brain. So, again, in a sense, all pain is nerve pain. Nonetheless, the phrase ‘nerve pain’ is used to refer to a group of pain disorders that have some loosely associated features.
Knee Pain
What is knee pain?
Knee pain is a common. Sometimes, it occurs acutely, such as when someone falls and tears a ligament. Other times, its onset is slow, due to strain on muscles or ligaments from repetitive motion. It can also come and go, such as when people have bursitis. Sometimes, however, it lasts longer and can become chronic. In most cases of chronic knee pain, it is due to osteoarthritis.
Chronic Hip Pain
What is chronic hip pain?
Hip pain is common, particularly as people grow older. Sometimes, it occurs in an acute manner, such as when someone falls and has a hip fracture. Other times, it comes and goes, such as when people have bursitis. Sometimes, it lasts longer and can become chronic.
Foot & Leg Pain
What is foot and leg pain?
Pain in the feet or legs is common. It can be caused by a number of different conditions. The most common conditions that cause pain in the feet and/or legs are the following:
Fibromyalgia
What is fibromyalgia syndrome?
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a common widespread pain condition. It occurs in about 3.4% of women and 0.5% of men.1 It has a typical set of symptoms:
Facial Pain
What is facial pain?
Facial pain is a catchall term for any type of pain in the face. Facial pain can be either acute or chronic. Acute pain is pain that lasts less than six months. Acute pain usually resolves either on its own or with treatment. Examples are sinusitis, infections of the mouth or gums, or injuries to the face, such as a black eye or broken nose. Chronic facial pain is pain that either lasts continuously for over six months or occurs on a fluctuating basis over a period of six months or longer. Examples are trigeminal neuralgia and temporomandibular joint disorder.
Degenerative Disc Disease
What is degenerative disc disease?
Degenerative disc disease is one of the most common diagnoses for people with back pain. The diagnosis is often alarming to patients. It sounds terrible. It sounds like they have a disease that is deteriorating the discs in their spine. It also sounds like it’s inevitably going to get worse. These reactions to the diagnosis are common.
Conversion Disorder
What is conversion disorder?
A conversion disorder is a nerve-related condition that is due to psychological stress or trauma. While not fully understood, the symptoms develop in response to stress or trauma that lead to intolerable conflict. The psychological cause may occur in one instance or on a repetitive basis prior to onset of symptoms. Onset of this type of nerve-related symptom can occur immediately after the stressor or trauma, or it can occur after a delay of many years.
Back Pain
What is chronic back pain?
Back pain affects most everyone at some point. At any given time, 25% of the population will have had low back pain in the previous three months. It is one of the most common reasons for medical visits.1, 2 Fortunately, the vast majority of cases of new back pain will resolve within a few weeks to months.3