PAIN Management Articles

If our teeth ache, most of us will quickly head to the dentist for treatment. But if your feet hurt, do you just chalk up the pain as a discomfort of modern life? Sadly, most of us do.

Most Americans say they have foot pain at least some of the time, and more of us have pain in our feet than in any other part of our bodies we consider vital to health, such as skin, teeth or even the heart, according to a recent survey by the American Podiatric Medical Association. Yet feet rank lowest on the list of body parts and functions that Americans consider important to their health, the APMA study shows. Additionally, many Americans don't seek foot care from a podiatrist - a doctor specially trained to care for feet.

Foot health directly affects the quality of our lives. When our feet are healthy, feeling good and working well, they can enable us to go about our normal routines.

The ache in your back that just won't go away and the pain from twisting your ankle will both have you searching for ways to relieve your pain. But these are two very different kinds of pain. Depending on their cause, the prescribed medical treatment might also be very different.

Acute Pain The first kind of pain, usually resulting from an injury, is acute pain. Some examples are sprains, burns, scrapes and contusions. When you have acute pain, your first instinct is to go to the doctor or pharmacy so you can begin treatment immediately. The defining characteristic of acute pain is that it does not continue indefinitely. It typically lasts for fewer than six months (often far less than that) and is usually resolved when the cause is successfully treated.

A new national survey reveals the private, prolonged, physical and emotional struggles that women with fibromyalgia face, in part because it can take several years for them to be diagnosed. Most sufferers (85 percent) consider fibromyalgia a burden in their lives, making it difficult to work, maintain relationships or keep up their households. Yet more than half (54 percent) say their diagnosis took one year or longer. Many women wait until they can no longer tolerate their symptoms before seeking help.

Neck pain is a common health problem in the United States. People suffering from neck pain often turn to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies. Although therapeutic massage is one of the most popular CAM therapies for neck pain, little is known about its effectiveness for this condition.

In an NCCAM-funded study conducted at the Group Health Center in Seattle, 64 adults with neck pain persisting for at least 12 weeks were randomly assigned to receive either massage or a self-care book. The massage group had up to 10 treatments over a 10-week period, provided by licensed practitioners who used a variety of common Swedish and clinical massage techniques and also made typical self-care suggestions. After 4, 10, and 26 weeks, the researchers interviewed participants to assess function (Neck Disability Index), symptom bothersomeness, and other measures.

People suffering from chronic low back pain who received acupuncture or simulated acupuncture treatments fared better than those receiving only conventional care according to a recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.1 The study highlights central questions about the mechanisms of benefit seen in acupuncture studies.

This trial, led by Daniel Cherkin, Ph.D., of Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle, was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a component of the National Institutes of Health.

In the United States alone 25.8 million children and adults have diabetes. About 25 percent of those with diabetes have pain and numbness from nerve damage which can be disruptive to living a normal life. The good news is new treatments and strategies can help eliminate this pain today and in the future. Diabetic nerve pain, or neuropathy, is caused by nerve damage over time. This neurologic disorder most often affects the hands and feet. Pain can be a tingling, burning or cramping that disrupts a person's ability to do everyday activities.

Osteoporosis sufferer Virginia Klucikowski, an 87-year-old retired school nurse from Evergreen Park, Ill., and cancer patient David Sepulveda, a 65-year-old worker for the Chicago Transit Authority, are among those who annually suffer an estimated 1.4 million spinal fractures worldwide. They are also among 700,000 who have benefited from a minimally invasive procedure for treatment of spinal fractures.