Pain: From Head to Toe

1. Pain: From Head to Toe Starting from the top: The head. They are the most common type of headache among adults and teens. They cause mild to moderate pain and come and go over time and usually have no other symptoms. Migraine: This condition is accompanied by intense headaches. These headaches are often described as pounding, throbbing pain. Moving down, we find back and spine pain. The most common type of back pain is low back pain which is caused by injury to a muscle (strain) or ligament (sprain). Common causes include improper lifting, poor posture, lack of regular exercise, fracture, ruptured disk, or arthritis.

2. Most low back pain goes away on its own in two to four weeks. Physical therapy and pain relievers can help. A few cases may require surgery. However, there may be other factors such as inherited medical conditions or medical cysts that are causing and contributing to the pain. For chronic back and spine pain, it’s best to see a specialist to determine the issue. Further, for conditions such as Tarlov Cysts, special treatment is needed to manage the pain or to provide surgical removal of the cyst. As we get to the bottom, we land on foot pain. Foot pain may be due to injury, overuse or conditions causing inflammation involving any of the bones, ligaments or tendons in the foot can cause foot pain. Injury to the nerves of the feet may result in intense burning pain, numbness or tingling (peripheral neuropathy). Additionally, foot neuromas (ex: Morton's neuroma, a painful condition that affects the ball of your foot) can bring about intense, lasting pain. One last potential cause for foot pain is arthritis. The wearing down of cartilage due to time and overuse can inflame the joints. Keep a look out for osteoarthritis signs and symptoms if you’re an older person or are constantly on your feet. ____ Special thanks to Google, WebMD and Mayo Clinic for helping piece this quick info sheet together.