CONDITIONS

Cause

Most causes of abdominal pain are not serious and can be readily diagnosed and treated. However, abdominal pain can also be the sign of a serious illness, and it is important that you learn to recognize which symptoms are severe and when to call a doctor.

Symptoms

Abdominal pain is felt in the part of the trunk below the ribs and above the pelvis. It usually comes from organs within the abdomen or organs adjacent to the abdomen, and may be caused by inflammation, distention of an organ, or by loss of the blood supply to an organ. Symptoms may include bloating, gas, indigestion, constipation, GERD, heartburn, and/or chest pain.

Cause

Facet joints are susceptible to wear and tear, degeneration, inflammation and arthritic changes. Inflammation and degenerative changes to the facet joints may result in pain, loss of motion, and if severe encroachment or pinching of the nerve exiting the spinal column. Causes of facet joint arthropathy include: degeneration or general wear and tear of the joint, sudden fall or trauma like a motor vehicle accident can result in a facet joint irritation, genetic factors, muscle weakness and poor posture, joint stiffness, and sedentary lifestyle.

Symptoms

Symptoms can vary from mild to severe and may mimic the symptoms of a disc problem. Other common symptoms include: pain in the neck, shoulder blade or radicular to the shoulder into the arm; pain and tenderness localized at the level of the involved facet joint; muscle spasm and changes in posture in response to the injury; loss of motion of the neck including an inability to turn the head, look up or bend backward, or move sideways to the affected side; and sitting for extended periods of time or performing activities overhead will be difficult.

Cause

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) acts like a sliding hinge, connecting your jawbone to your skull. TMJ disorders can cause pain in your jaw joint and in the muscles that control jaw movement. The exact cause of a person’s TMJ disorder is often difficult to determine. Your pain may be due to a combination of problems, such as arthritis or jaw injury. Painful TMJ disorders can occur if the disk erodes or moves out of its proper alignment, the joint’s cartilage is damaged by arthritis, or many cases, the cause can be unclear.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of TMJ disorders may include: pain or tenderness of your jaw, aching pain in and around your ear, difficulty chewing or discomfort while chewing, aching facial pain, locking of the joint, making it difficult to open or close your mouth. TMJ disorders can also cause a clicking sound or grating sensation when you open your mouth or chew. But if there’s no pain or limitation of movement associated with your jaw clicking, you probably don’t need treatment for a TMJ disorder.

Cause

Failed back surgery syndrome (also called FBSS, or failed back syndrome) is a misnomer, as it is not actually a syndrome – it is a very generalized term that is often used to describe the condition of patients who have not had a successful result with back surgery or spine surgery and have experienced continued pain after surgery. There is no equivalent term for failed back surgery syndrome in any other type of surgery (e.g. there is no failed cardiac surgery syndrome, failed knee surgery syndrome, etc.). There are many reasons that a back surgery may or may not work, and even with the best surgeon and for the best indications, spine surgery is no more than 95% predictive of a successful result.

Symptoms

Common symptoms associated with failed back surgery syndrome include diffuse, dull and aching pain involving the back and/or legs (or the neck and/or arms). Patients may also complain of sharp, pricking, burning or stabbing pain in the extremities.

Cause

Although much about the cause of migraines isn’t understood, genetics and environmental factors appear to play a role.

Symptoms

When untreated, a migraine usually lasts from 4 to 72 hours, but the frequency with which headaches occur varies from person to person. You may have migraines several times a month or much less often. During a migraine, you may experience the following symptoms: pain on one side or both sides of your head; pain that has a pulsating, throbbing quality; sensitivity to light; sounds and sometimes smells; nausea and vomiting; blurred vision, and lightheadedness; and sometimes followed by fainting.

Cause

The causes of many chronic daily headaches aren’t well-understood. True (primary) chronic daily headaches don’t have an identifiable underlying cause. Conditions that may cause non-primary chronic daily headaches include: inflammation or other problems with the blood vessels in and around the brain, including stroke; infections (such as meningitis); intracranial pressure that’s either too high or too low; brain tumor; or traumatic brain injury.

Symptoms

By definition, chronic daily headaches occur 15 days or more a month, for at least three months. True (primary) chronic daily headaches aren’t caused by another condition. There are short-lasting and long-lasting chronic daily headaches. Long-lasting last more than four hours. They include: chronic migraine, chronic tension-type headache, new daily persistent headache, and hemicrania continua.

Cause

Joint pain can be caused by injury affecting any of the ligaments, bursae, or tendons surrounding the joint. Injury can also affect the ligaments, cartilage, and bones within the joint. Pain is also a feature of joint inflammation (arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis) and infection. In extremely rare cases, it can be a cause of cancer of the joint. Pain within the joint is a common cause of shoulder pain, ankle pain, and knee pain.

Symptoms

Symptoms and signs associated with joint pain can include: joint redness, joint swelling, joint tenderness, joint warmth, limping, locking of the joint, loss of range of motion of the joint, stiffness, and weakness.

Cause

As a disc degenerates and breaks down, the inner core can leak out through the outer portion of the disc, and this condition is known as a disc herniation or a herniated disc. The weak spot in the outer core of the intervertebral disc is directly under the spinal nerve root, so a herniation in this area puts direct pressure on the nerve.The nerve runs through the leg, and any type of pinched nerve in the lower spine can cause pain to radiate along the path of the nerve through the buttock and down the leg. This type of pain is also called sciatica or a radiculopathy.

Symptoms

General symptoms typically include one or a combination of the following: leg pain (sciatica), which may occur with or without lower back pain; numbness, weakness and/or tingling in the leg; lower back pain and/or pain in the buttock; loss of bladder or bowel control (rare), which may be an indication of a serious medical condition called cauda equina syndrome.

Cause

Discs are soft, rubbery pads located between the bony vertebrae that make up the spinal column. Composed of a thick outer ring of cartilage (annulus) and an inner gel-like substance (nucleus), discs allow the back to bend and also act as shock absorbers. The spinal column surrounds and protects the spinal cord and nerves. When the cartilage develops a defect or tear, the nucleus can break through. Much like toothpaste, the nucleus bulges out or herniates, putting pressure on the nerves. Even slight amounts of pressure can cause pain, numbness, or weakness.

A herniated disc in the lower spine can put pressure on the sciatic nerve (sciatica). When pinched, sciatic pain may be experienced anywhere along these branches, radiating from the buttocks down the back of the leg and sometimes through the shin and foot. Often, leg pain occurs without any back pain.

Symptoms

Pain may vary from mild to severe. Symptoms may be experienced suddenly or gradually and may also include: pain in both legs; burning, tingling (a “pins–and–needles” sensation), or numbness in the buttock leg, or foot; pain with specific movements, usually bending forward or twisting; intensified pain with prolonged sitting, bending, sneezing, or coughing; weakness in one or both legs; and loss of bladder or bowel control (this is rare).

Cause

Triggers for the onset of neck muscle strain can be traced to several common activities that strain the neck anatomy, such as too much time in an awkward position hunched over a steering wheel while driving, hunched forward to view a computer monitor, or cradling a phone in the crook of the neck; sleeping in a position that strains the neck, such as with a pillow that is too high or too firm; any form of trauma that impacts the neck, such as from whiplash in a car accident; or from a fall in which one lands on the top of the head.

Symptoms

Most episodes of neck muscle strain (or other soft tissue strain or sprain, such as ligaments or tendons) result in a stiff neck and/or pain in a shoulder muscle. Symptoms typically include difficulty and pain when moving or rotating the head or neck.

Cause

Several types of diseases and conditions can cause pelvic pain. Often chronic pelvic pain results from more than one condition. Pelvic pain may arise from your digestive, reproductive or urinary system. Recently, doctors have recognized that some pelvic pain, particularly chronic pelvic pain, may also arise from muscles and connective tissue (ligaments) in the structures of the pelvic floor. Occasionally, pelvic pain may be caused by irritation of nerves in the pelvis.

Symptoms

Depending on its source, pelvic pain may be dull or sharp; it may be constant or off and on (intermittent); and it may be mild, moderate or severe. Pelvic pain can sometimes radiate to your lower back, buttocks or thighs. Pelvic pain can occur suddenly, sharply and briefly (acute) or over the long term (chronic). Chronic pelvic pain refers to any constant or intermittent pelvic pain that has been present for more than a few months. Sometimes, you may notice pelvic pain only at certain times, such as when you urinate or during sexual activity.