Pain Archive

Most cases of chest pain don't signal heart problems. While chest discomfort of any kind should never be ignored, many conditions can trigger it. These include gastroesophageal reflux disease, gallstones, asthma, ulcers, anxiety, COVID, esophagus spasms, costochondritis, pulmonary embolism, pleurisy, aortic dissection, and pericarditis. Chest pain is likely to be unrelated to the heart if it's brief, triggered by eating, doesn't worsen with exercise, occurs only with movement, coughing, or breathing deeply, or it's localized to one spot.

Most acute back pain happens because of weak muscles related to aging and inactivity. Symptoms usually last a few days, but pain and stiffness sometimes linger for a couple of weeks or longer. Frequent episodes can make people less active, as they are fearful about straining their back. Managing acute back pain is a two-step approach. First, treat the pain with over-the-counter remedies, cold and heat therapy, and rest, and then strengthen the back muscles and improve flexibility to prevent recurrent back pain episodes.

Headaches are very common in children and teens. We don't tend to think about children getting migraines, but by age 10 one in 20 children has had one. Symptoms may differ from adults and it's important for parents to understand triggers, helpful treatments, and possible red flags.

Hand arthritis makes it tough to do winter activities, such as preparing holiday feasts, shoveling snow, wrapping presents, or using walking or ski poles. It helps to plan out activities, break them up when possible, take lots of breaks, use tools to make the jobs easier, and enlist help if needed. For example, consider asking family and friends to assist with holiday meal prep, or hire a service to remove snow.

There are different underlying reasons for the types of orofacial pain commonly called temporomandibular joint problems, or TMJ. Not all of them are caused by problems with the joint itself, and specialists are getting better at diagnosing them. Orofacial pain may result from a joint problem, a muscle-based problem, a headache syndrome, or a pain processing problem.

Some older adults feel cold frequently. This may result from age-related physical changes or an underlying condition. Examples of underlying conditions that might make a person feel cold include anemia, an underactive thyroid, diabetic neuropathy, peripheral artery disease, or Raynaud's phenomenon. People who experience coldness that interferes with their daily activities or sleep should talk to a doctor about it.