Arthritis
If you have arthritis, you know pain. But there are more than 100 forms of arthritis and related diseases, and not all arthritis pain is alike. The processes and sources of pain are different for each type of arthritis and related disease. Talk with your doctor about potential treatment options. These may include steroid injections, viscosupplementation, prp, stem cells and medications.
Knee Pain
Knee pain can be caused by a sudden injury or by an underlying condition, such as arthritis. Treatment will vary depending on the cause. Symptoms of knee injury can include pain, swelling, and stiffness. Talk with your doctor about possible treatment options.
Neck Pain
Neck pain maybe mild, or it could be so excruciating that a person avoids any and all movement. Oftentimes neck pain is located in one spot and goes away on its own within a few days or weeks. Unfortunately, in some cases the pain becomes constant or radiates into other body parts, such as the shoulder and arms. Common symptoms associated with neck pain usually involves one or more of the following:
- Stiff neck. Soreness and difficulty moving the neck, especially when trying to turn the head from side to side.
- Sharp pain. This symptom can be pain localized to one spot and might feel like it’s stabbing or stinging. Soreness. The pain can be described as tender or achy, as opposed to sharp.
- Radiating pain. The pain can travel along a nerve from the neck into the shoulders and arms and may be described as a burning sensation.
- Tingling, numbness, or weakness . These symptoms can travel beyond the neck and radiate into the shoulder, arm or finger. Often times a sensation of “pins-and-needles” is described. This may occur in a single arm or both arms simultaneously.
- Trouble with gripping or lifting objects. This is a troubling symptom suggesting weakness and can be a sign that surgical intervention is imminent.
- Headaches. Sometimes an irritation in the neck can also affect muscles and nerves connected to the head. This could be a tension headache, such as from neck muscles tightening; or occipital neuralgia, where a pinched occipital nerve in the neck causes pain to radiate up into the head’s sides and scalp.
If neck pain symptoms progress, it can become difficult to sleep. This type of pain may also interfere with other activities of daily living such as dressing, working, and driving.
Back Pain
Lower back pain can be caused by a variety of problems. Typical sources of low back pain include:
- Large nerve root irritation
- Muscle Strain or Sprain
- Damage to the bones, ligaments or joints.
- Disc degenerating or herniation.
- Often times underlying structural damage may result in muscle spasms, which can cause severe pain and disability.
- While lower back pain is extremely common, the symptoms and severity of lower back pain vary greatly. A simple lower back muscle strainmight be excruciating enough to necessitate an emergency room visit, while a degenerating disc might cause only mild, intermittent discomfort.
- Identifying the symptoms and getting a diagnosis that pinpoints the underlying cause of the pain is the first step in obtaining effective pain relief.
Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain may arise from the shoulder joint itself or from any of the many surrounding muscles, ligaments or tendons. Shoulder pain that comes from the joint usually worsens with activities or movement of your arm or shoulder.
Shoulder pain causes include but are not limited to:
- Bursitis
- Cervical radiculopathy
- Impingement
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Rotator cuff injury
- Sprains and strains
- Tendinitis
Talk with your physician about the role of injection therapy in your treatment.
Facet syndrome
Facet joint disorders are some of the most common of all the recurrent, disabling low back and neck problems, and can cause serious symptoms and disability for patients.
Interestingly, when the acute lumbar or cervical facet joint inflammation is at its peak, the symptoms may closely imitate those of a herniated disc and can be very disabling and scary.
Symptoms may include the following:
- Acute episodes of lumbar and cervical facet joint pain are typically intermittent, generally unpredictable, and occur a few times per month or per year.
- Most patients will have a persisting point tenderness overlying the inflamed facet joints and some degree of loss in the spinal muscle flexibility (called guarding).
- Typically, there will be more discomfort while leaning backward than while leaning forward.
- Low back pain from the facet joints often radiates down into the buttocks and down the back of the upper leg.
Similarly, cervical facet joint problems may radiate pain locally or into the shoulders or upper back.
Whiplash
Whiplash is sometimes referred to as a sprained neck or neck strain. It is an acute injury to the neck, usually caused by a high velocity injury (such as a Motor Vehicle Accident). Whiplash is characterized by a collection of symptoms that occur following damage to the neck. In whiplash, the intervertebral joints (located between vertebrae), discs, and ligaments, cervical muscles, and nerve roots may become damaged.
What Causes Whiplash?
Whiplash is caused by an abrupt backward and/or forward jerking motion of the head.
What Are the Symptoms of Whiplash?
Symptoms of whiplash may be delayed for 24 hours or more after the initial trauma. However, people who experience whiplash may develop one or more of the following symptoms, usually within the first few days after the injury:
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Headaches
- Pain in the shoulder or between the shoulder blades
- Pain or numbness in the arm and/or hand
- Dizziness
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering
- Irritability, sleep disturbances, fatigue