Pain
Pain is your body telling you that you have hurt it. This is a good thing, important when you are injured. It can also help diagnose problems with your body. Sometimes pain continues long after it's necessary. Amputees report phantom pain in the legs or arms they no longer have.
There are different kinds of pain, and describing the type is useful in diagnosis: recurring, constant, steady, knife-like, radiating, sharp, dull. Medicines that dull pain are analgesics. Those that kill all feeling are anesthetics.
Recently Answered
- Q What is referred pain?
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Because internal body pain, or visceral pain, is less common than other forms, the pain does not always correspond well to its cause. Referred pain describes a situation where one organ's pain is interpreted as coming from somewhere else. A classic... Full Answer
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- Q What is the difference between good and bad muscle pain?
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Rick Olderman, Physical TherapyQuite often I need to educate my clients regarding "good" pain versus "bad" muscle pain. The discomfort of a fatigued muscle feels different than the pain of a muscle strain or impinged joint-pain that indicates injury. Learning to tell the... Full Answer
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- Q What is breast pain?
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Breast pain is a common problem that affects women of all ages. It may affect a woman at regular intervals or it may be less predictable. Breast pain causes worry and is uncomfortable, but it rarely is a sign of a serious problem. Mastalgia is... Full Answer
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- Q How can pain be motivating?
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Dr. Dean Ornish, Internal MedicinePart of the value of pain is to help motivate you to change. All change is stressful at first, because it disrupts the familiarity of the status quo. It perturbs homeostasis. When the status quo becomes painful enough, then changing begins to make more... Full Answer
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- Q What are the causes of pain and numbness of hands?
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The pain and numbness you are describing can be caused by a number of things, including nerve damage or carpal tunnel syndrome. It would be best to make an appointment with your physician to discuss your symptoms and find the underlying cause. Full Answer
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- Q Can sinuses cause pain in the jaw?
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Dr. Jerry Gordon, DentistryYes, an infected maxillary sinus can cause pain in the upper jaw and upper molar teeth. It is never a good idea to diagnoses yourself, so I would always recommend a complete evaluation by your dentist whenever you have pain in the jaw or teeth. Full Answer
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- Q What causes lateral foot pain?
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Melissa Hatton, FitnessThis is a great question, and one with which I have some personal experience. A couple years ago I developed a pain on my lateral left foot, right around the bony protrusion of the 5th metatarsal. It turned out to be peroneal... Full Answer
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- Q What causes numbness in my feet?
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The most common cause would be a peripheral neuropathy which is a length dependent degeneration of the nerves that start far away from the cell body of the nerve which lies next to the spine. The first symptoms are typically burning or numbness in the... Full Answer
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- Q What causes physical pain?
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Physical pain occurs when something happens that injures or destroys tissue of the body. Nerves are body structures that are responsible for carrying messages to-and-from your brain. When an injury occurs, a series of events happens that carries the pain... Full Answer
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- Q What could cause my muscle pain in my shoulders?
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Carlos Mirabal - NASM Elite Trainer, FitnessPain in your shoulders can come from several places. If you have tendinitis in your rotator cuff or rotator cuff tears, it can cause pain. Your bicep tendon also runs into your shoulder and can cause severe pain. Nerve damage in your neck can... Full Answer
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