Chronic Pain Diagnosis

Your doctor will take a detailed medical history, asking you questions about your pain. He or she may ask you to start keeping a pain diary. Physical exam: In your physical exam, your doctor will look for areas that are tender, weak or numb. The... Full Answer

Autonomic testing and scintigraphy may provide an early clue to the diagnosis, while radiologic studies can be helpful later in the course of illness. In addition, the response to treatment is often a very useful diagnostic test. Full Answer

When your body is in constant pain, you want to know why. Figuring out what triggered your chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) in the first place is one potential way to help relieve your chronic pain. But whether it was a fender bender that hurt... Full Answer

Figuring out what triggered your chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) in the first place is one potential way to help relieve it. You can talk to your doctor about diagnostic tools to help pinpoint the nature of your pain and new medication options that... Full Answer

Doctors can easily diagnose postherpetic neuralgia based on your symptoms and a quick review of your medical history. If you have had a shingles outbreak and are now experiencing chronic pain in areas of your body that were affected by the outbreak, it... Full Answer

I typically see back problems such as herniated or bulging disks, spinal stenosis, arthritis, facet syndromes, and others. I call these structural diagnoses because they describe a physical problem that can be seen on an MRI or other scan.... Full Answer

If you believe you are experiencing symptoms of postherpetic neuralgia, it is a good idea to see a doctor as soon as possible. In fact, you should see your doctor when the initial shingles outbreak occurs. This can help prevent postherpetic neuralgia... Full Answer