Health Library

The Health Library is a collection of health and wellness resources created for learning and accessibility. Select a topic below for related health information or search for a topic in the search bar for more information on other medical conditions.

Bone, Joint and Muscle Conditions

  • Has info on finger, hand, and wrist problems as well as shoulder injuries. Also has info on osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia with links to low back pain exercises and info on tennis elbow surgery.

  • Amputation is the removal of a body part. This can be done by a doctor in a hospital setting, such as when a foot must be amputated because of diabetes complications. But amputation may also happen during an accident. An amputation may be complete...

  • Discusses common toe, foot, and ankle injuries. Covers home treatment and basic foot care. Offers injury prevention tips.

  • Bev isn't letting the pain of arthritis in her hands and back keep her from doing her favorite activity—gardening. Nor does she let it keep her from doing anything else in her life. She has found ways to help reduce the pain that allow her to still enjoy the simple pleasures in life, like seeing the season's first...

  • Get ideas about tools and changes to your home that can simplify your daily life.

  • What is avascular necrosis? Avascular necrosis is bone death that occurs when the blood supply to the bones is decreased or stopped. Without an adequate blood supply, the bone breaks down and dies and collapses. If the bone affected is near a joint, the joint may also collapse. Although any bone can be affected...

  • Most people will have a minor back problem at one time or another. Our body movements usually do not cause problems, but it's not surprising that symptoms develop from everyday wear and tear, overuse, or injury. Back problems and injuries often occur during sports or recreational activities, work-related tasks, or home...

  • Most back injuries are caused by lifting or twisting and are not serious. Minor injuries can also result from overuse of the muscles and ligaments in the back. Back pain caused by a minor injury will usually go away by itself within 1 to 4 weeks. Moderate back injuries may result from tripping or falling short...

  • Lists common lifting mistakes. Offers basic rules to protect your back when lifting. Includes links to pictures on proper lifting technique and more extensive info on low back pain and herniated disc.

  • Asks questions that help you find out if your low back problem might be helped by surgery. Results help you talk with your doctor about back pain or other symptoms like leg pain. Helps you talk with your doctor about surgery and other treatment options.

  • What are the most important things you need to know about your medicines? Make sure you know about each of the medicines you take. This includes why you take it, how to take it, what you can expect while you're taking it, and any warnings about the medicine. The information provided here is general. So be sure...

  • Discusses bone spur, a bony growth formed on normal bone. Includes info on common sites for bone spurs like the heel and shoulder. Covers causes, symptoms, and how they are diagnosed. Discusses treatment with medicines or surgery.

  • What is bursitis? Bursitis is a painful swelling of a small sac of fluid called a bursa. Bursae (plural of bursa) cushion and lubricate areas where tendons, ligaments, skin, muscles, or bones rub against each other. People who repeat the same movement over and over or who put continued pressure on a joint in their...

  • Bursitis can cause a bursa to produce and fill up with fluid. A bursa that is swollen with fluid can be diagnosed and treated by drawing the fluid out with a needle and syringe (aspiration). Fluid often builds up in the bursa again. Draining the bursa can provide relief, but the cause of fluid buildup may also require...

  • Discusses common Achilles tendon problems. Covers tendinopathy, which includes tendinitis and tendinosis. Also covers tendon tear or rupture, paratenonitis, peritendinitis, and bursitis. Discusses symptoms such as pain and swelling in back of leg or heel.

  • What is calcific tendinitis? Calcific tendinitis (also called calcific tendinopathy) happens when calcium builds up in the tendons. It is most common in the shoulders. But it may occur in the elbows, wrists, hands, hips, knees, or feet. People most affected by calcific tendinitis are between 30 and 50 years old. Women...

  • A blow to the chest can cause a minor or serious injury. It is not unusual to have the "wind knocked out of you" and be short of breath for a few minutes after a blow to the chest. Even after a chest injury, it is important to determine whether your pain might be caused by a heart problem. If you do not have any...

  • What is chronic myofascial pain? Most people have muscle pain from time to time. But chronic myofascial pain is a kind of ongoing or longer-lasting pain that can affect the connective tissue (fascia) of a muscle or group of muscles. With myofascial pain, there are areas called trigger points. Trigger points are usually...

  • Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a term used to describe a group of painful conditions. Examples of earlier names for these conditions include reflex sympathetic dystrophy, causalgia, and Sudeck's atrophy. Pain is the main symptom of CRPS....

  • Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is a disorder in which there is bone growth in the ligaments, particularly where they attach to the bones of the spine. You may have no symptoms. Or you could have minor spinal stiffness and pain. Over time your spine will stiffen and your vertebrae may fuse together.

  • Covers common causes of elbow injuries. Discusses injuries caused by sudden injury and those caused by overuse. Discusses treatment options. Offers interactive tool to help you decide when to see a doctor. Covers home treatment and prevention tips.

  • If emergency care is not needed, the following steps will protect the wound and protect you from another person's blood. Before you try to stop the bleeding: Wash your hands well with soap and water, if available. Put on medical gloves, if available, before applying pressure to the wound. If gloves are...

  • Doctors do not use lab tests to diagnose fibromyalgia. The results of lab tests done on people with fibromyalgia should be normal unless another condition is present. You may have lab tests to rule out other diseases or to find out whether you have...

  • Exercise is one of the most important treatments for fibromyalgia. Regular exercise will strengthen your muscles, increase blood flow to the muscles, and increase your endurance. It also may reduce the risk of tiny injuries to the muscles that may...

  • Nondrug methods of relieving pain may be helpful for people who have fibromyalgia. These can include: Applying heating pads or taking warm baths or showers. Gentle massage of painful muscles. Regular exercise to help strengthen muscles, which will...

  • Information on fibromyalgia, a syndrome that causes people to feel pain even when there is no injury. Covers symptoms and how it is diagnosed. Includes info on treatments such as medicines, exercise therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

  • What is chronic myofascial pain? Most people have muscle pain from time to time. But chronic myofascial pain is a kind of ongoing or longer-lasting pain that can affect the connective tissue (fascia) of a muscle or group of muscles. With myofascial pain, there are areas called trigger points. Trigger points are usually...

  • "Fibro fog" is the name commonly given to the cognitive problems that can go along with fibromyalgia syndrome. These problems with concentration and memory can lead to confusion, losing your train of thought, or forgetting or mixing up words or details. You can take steps to manage fibro fog. Try some of the...

  • You can help prevent foot injuries and problems. Wear good athletic shoes, such as shoes with cushioned soles (especially heels) and good arch support. Physical therapists, orthopedists, podiatrists, and sports medicine health professionals can...

  • The following tips on good footwear may prevent toe, foot, or ankle problems or injuries. Have your feet measured regularly. The size of your feet may change as you grow older. Have both feet measured. Often one foot is larger than the other. The shoes should be fitted to the larger foot. Don't...

  • Tips to prevent foot cramps include the following: Take a warm bath and do some stretching exercises before you go to bed if cramps wake you at night. Avoid pointing your toes while you stretch. Try not to sleep with your toes pointed. Keep your...

  • Discusses common toe, foot, and ankle injuries. Covers home treatment and basic foot care. Offers injury prevention tips.

  • Many foot problems—such as bunions, calluses and corns, or hammer, claw, or mallet toes—will not become severely painful or disabling if you wear shoes with a wide toe box that gives your toes and the ball of your foot more room. Try to wear shoes that: Have low heels. Avoid high-heeled, narrow, or...

  • Footwear plays a large role in the development of foot and toe problems such as bunions, calluses and corns, and hammer, claw, and mallet toes. Shoes that don't fit properly make these conditions worse and more painful. But wearing the right shoes may help keep foot problems from becoming worse. A comfortable...

  • Covers finger, hand, and wrist problems caused by medical conditions and overuse. Offers symptom check list. Includes worksheet to help you decide when to call a doctor. Offers home treatment and prevention tips.

  • Discusses ganglions, small cysts that look like bumps often on hands and wrists. Covers exams and tests used to diagnose ganglions. Covers nonsurgical and surgical treatment options. Offers home treatment tips.

  • Mucous cyst ganglions usually occur when osteoarthritis symptoms develop, at middle age or older. This type of ganglion is more common in women than men. Mucous cyst ganglions are found at the joint nearest the fingernail (distal interphalangeal [DIP] joint). The ganglion is firm and does not easily move under the...

  • Discusses groin problems and injuries. Looks at acute injuries, hernias, rashes, and other groin problems in children. Covers signs and symptoms. Offers home treatment and prevention tips. Covers emergencies such as severe pain and signs of shock.

  • Growing pains are leg pains that can hurt enough to wake your child at night. Although they can be very painful, they are not serious. They will not cause any long-lasting problems. Growing pains can start as early as the toddler years, or they can...

  • Details types of injuries to the fingers, hands, and wrists. Discusses possible emergency situations. Includes worksheet to help you decide when to seek care. Offers home treatment and prevention tips.

  • Looks at sudden injuries like meniscus tears or torn ligaments that cause knee pain. Covers injuries like bursitis and tendinitis caused by overuse. Includes tool to help you decide when to call a doctor. Offers home treatment and prevention tips.

  • Discusses muscle cramps, also known as charley horses. Covers causes like strained muscles, dehydration, and needing more potassium or calcium in your body. Covers treatment and prevention, including stretching or taking a warm bath.

  • Two techniques can help you manage your energy when you have myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). They are: Staying within your energy envelope. Pacing yourself. These techniques can give you better control over your symptoms so that you can be as active as possible. They may also lead to...

  • What is myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)? Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) (say "my-AL-jik en-seh-fuh-loh-my-uh-LY-tus") is a disease that makes you feel so ill that you can't do your normal daily activities. Sleeping problems occur along with...

  • You may find it helpful to change your schedule to take advantage of times when you have more energy and feel less tired. Keep a diary for a week or so, and record the times of day when you have energy and when you are tired. If there is a pattern to how your energy levels change during the day, try to...

  • People who have chronic health problems, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), often benefit from support groups. These groups can be a good source of information and tips for managing your illness and a chance to share your frustrations and problems with others who are in a similar...

  • "Fibro fog" is the name commonly given to the cognitive problems that can go along with fibromyalgia syndrome. These problems with concentration and memory can lead to confusion, losing your train of thought, or forgetting or mixing up words or details. You can take steps to manage fibro fog. Try some of the...

  • Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a condition in which a piece of bone or cartilage (or both) inside a joint loses blood supply and dies. OCD may be caused by injury or overuse from an activity that repeatedly jams one bone end against another. OCD...

  • A hip problem can be hard to deal with, both for the child who has the problem and to the parent or caregiver. A child who has a hip problem may feel pain in the hip, groin, thigh, or knee. A child in pain may limp or be unable or unwilling to...

  • Hip pain can make it hard to walk, go up and down stairs, squat, or sleep on the side that hurts. A clicking or snapping feeling or sound around your hip joint (snapping hip) may bother you or cause you to worry. But if your hip is not painful, in many cases the click or snap is nothing to worry about. Home treatment...

  • Bacterial infections of the spine are rare but can include infection of: The discs (discitis). The spinal cord (usually an infection of the tissue covering the spinal cord, called an epidural abscess). One or more vertebrae (osteomyelitis). The facet joints, which may be the site of infectious arthritis. Bacteria...

  • Most people will have a minor back problem at one time or another. Our body movements usually do not cause problems, but it's not surprising that symptoms develop from everyday wear and tear, overuse, or injury. Back problems and injuries often occur during sports or recreational activities, work-related tasks, or home...

  • Try to avoid hand and wrist movements that can cause pain and other symptoms. Keep your wrists straight or only slightly bent. Avoid activities that bend or twist the wrists for long periods of time. Take frequent breaks from typing or other...

  • Overuse injuries occur from stressing your joints, muscles, or other tissues without allowing them to recover. For example, throwing a baseball at high speeds over and over can stress your shoulder joint and cause an injury to part of that joint (the rotator cuff). Stress fractures, in which a bone breaks from the...

  • Paget's disease can cause complications such as: Osteoarthritis. Paget's disease can damage the bone around a joint. This can cause the cartilage in the joint to weaken and break down, which leads to arthritis. Many people feel bone or joint pain...

  • What is Paget's disease? Paget's disease is a problem of abnormal bone growth. It may affect just one bone, but it usually affects more than one. In normal bone, the bone tissue is constantly being broken down, absorbed into the body, and then rebuilt with new cells. In Paget's disease, bone tissue is broken down...

  • Osteotomy ("bone cutting") is a procedure in which a surgeon removes, or sometimes adds, a wedge of bone near a damaged joint. This shifts weight from an area where there is deformed or damaged bone to an area where there is more or healthier bone. In Paget's disease, bone tissue breakdown and rebuilding frequently...

  • What is periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD)? Periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) is a condition in which a person's legs, and sometimes arms, move repetitively and uncontrollably while he or she is asleep. These episodes of limb movement can disrupt the person's sleep, causing insomnia or daytime sleepiness...

  • Phantom limb pain is pain that is felt in the area where an arm or leg has been amputated. Although the limb is gone, the nerve endings at the site of the amputation continue to send pain signals to the brain that make the brain think the limb is still there. Phantom limb pain can be mild to agonizing and even disabling...

  • Experts disagree about the use of heat after an injury. Some experts: Do not recommend using heat because it may increase swelling, especially in the first few hours right after the injury. If you decide to use heat and you notice that the swelling increases, stop using heat and return to cold treatments. Think heat...

  • The shape of a newborn's head may be affected by how the baby was positioned in the uterus, by the birth process, or by the baby's sleep position. Positional plagiocephaly (say "play-jee-oh-SEF-uh-lee") means that a baby's head is flat in the back...

  • Minor shoulder problems, such as sore muscles and aches and pains, are common. Shoulder problems develop from everyday wear and tear, overuse, or an injury. They can also be caused by the natural process of aging. Your shoulder joints move every time you move your arms. To better understand shoulder problems and...

  • A sports hernia is an injury of the inguinal area caused by repetitive twisting and turning at high speed. This type of hernia occurs mainly in people who play ice hockey, soccer, or tennis. Although the condition is known as a hernia, in many cases an obvious hernia is not seen. The main symptom is groin pain that may...

  • Learn steps you can take at home to reduce pain and swelling after a sprain or strain.

  • Most people will have a minor back problem at one time or another. Our body movements usually do not cause problems, but it's not surprising that symptoms develop from everyday wear and tear, overuse, or injury. Back problems and injuries often occur during sports or recreational activities, work-related tasks, or home...

  • Injuries to the tailbone (coccyx) can occur when you slip or fall and hit your tailbone (impact injury). The most common symptom of a tailbone injury is pain when you sit, especially if you slump or sit on a hard seat. Straining to have a bowel movement also can be very painful. Home treatment often eases pain. You...

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