Pain

• Pain Control

  Pain can be caused by many things, such as an injury, a surgery, or a health problem like low back pain or cancer. Long-term pain that isn't controlled can make it harder to enjoy life. But there are ways you can learn to manage pain. And managing pain can have a lot of benefits, like being able to do more activities or...

• Managing Pain While You're in the Hospital

  Learn how you can work with your doctor and care team to manage pain while in the hospital.

• Pain Diary

  A pain diary may help you and your doctor find out what makes your pain better or worse. Use the diary and pain scale below to keep track of when you have pain, how bad it is, and what you are doing to treat it. This figure has been reproduced with...

• Aspirin for Pain, Fever, and Inflammation

  Aspirin (such as Bayer or Bufferin) relieves pain and reduces fever and inflammation. Warning: Do not give aspirin to anyone younger than 20 unless your doctor tells you to do so because of the risk of Reye syndrome. Be sure to follow the nonprescription medicine precautions. Aspirin is a nonsteroidal...

• Breast Problems

  Breast lumps or changes are a common health worry for most women. Women may have many kinds of breast lumps and other breast changes throughout their lives, including changes that occur with menstrual periods, pregnancy, and aging. Most breast lumps and breast changes are normal. Breast changes in young girls Breast...

• Breast Pain (Mastalgia)

  What do I need to know about breast pain? Many women have breast tenderness and pain, also called mastalgia. It may come and go with monthly periods (cyclic) or may not follow any pattern (noncyclic). Cyclic pain is the most common type of breast pain. It may be caused by the normal monthly changes in...

• The Pain-Mood Connection

  Learn how negative and positive thoughts affect the way you experience pain.

• Chronic Pain: Tracking How You're Doing

  Learn to track how well you are managing your pain.

• Chronic Pain

  Discusses chronic pain caused by problems other than cancer. Covers symptoms and how chronic pain is diagnosed. Covers conditions that can be treated, like neck pain, low back pain, and arthritis. Info on treatment with medicine and lifestyle changes.

• Pain Control

  Pain can be caused by many things, such as an injury, a surgery, or a health problem like low back pain or cancer. Long-term pain that isn't controlled can make it harder to enjoy life. But there are ways you can learn to manage pain. And managing pain can have a lot of benefits, like being able to do more activities or...

• Living With Chronic Pain

  Learn about chronic pain and what you can do to feel better.

• Chronic Pain: Treatments Other Than Medicine

  Learn about other ways to manage pain, in addition to medicine.

• Chronic Pain: Finding Your Strength

  Hear how others found strength and support to manage their pain.

• Chronic Pain: Managing Pain With Healthy Thinking

  Learn to reduce your pain by changing negative thoughts.

• Opioids: Know What's Safe

  Here's information to help you work with your doctor so you can take prescribed opioids safely.

• Chronic Pain: How Medicines Can Help You Manage It

  Learn how medicines can help you manage chronic pain.

• Chronic Pain: Using Healthy Thinking

  Living with pain can be hard, especially if it's long-term—or chronic—pain. Chronic pain is pain that lasts for 3 months or longer. It can make you sleep poorly, feel tired and irritable, and have a hard time being active or working. It may strain your relationships with loved ones too, making it hard to be the kind of...

• Getting Help Around the House

  If pain is starting to get you down, let people know when you need a helping hand. Get family members or friends to help out with physical tasks you can't do right now. Here are some ideas to get you started: Divide up household chores. You take the...

• Pain Management

  What is pain? Pain is your body's way of warning you that something is wrong. If you step on a sharp object or put your hand on a hot stove, the pain lets you know right away that you are hurt and need to protect yourself. You may have pain from an injury, after surgery, or from a health problem like cancer...

• Improving Sleep When You Have Chronic Pain

  If you have chronic pain, such as with fibromyalgia or complex regional pain syndrome, you may have a hard time sleeping or you may wake up feeling tired and unrefreshed. Some experts believe poor sleep can make pain worse. Getting a good night's...

• Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Chronic Pain

  Covers using an electrical current to treat chronic pain. Explains how peripheral nerve and spinal cord stimulation is done, why it is done, and how well it works. Includes possible risks related to the treatment.

• Pain Management Clinic

  Chronic pain often requires both counseling and medical treatment, because it can have a wearing effect on both the body and the mind. At a pain management clinic, you can get multidisciplinary treatment from a team of specialists, including: Physiatrists. These medical doctors specialize in physical medicine and...

• Nerve Block for Pain Relief

  Provides brief discussion on nerve block for pain relief. Explains that it is done by injecting a drug into or around a nerve or into the spine. Covers when and why nerve blocks are used. Also covers risks.

• Pain Control Diary

  A pain diary may help you and your doctor find out what makes your pain better or worse. Use the diary below to keep track of when you have pain, how bad it is, and what you are doing to treat it. This figure has been reproduced with permission of the International Association for the Study of Pain® (IASP®). The figure...

• Nerve Ablation for Chronic Pain

  What is nerve ablation? The destruction (also called ablation) of nerves is a method that may be used to reduce certain kinds of chronic pain by preventing transmission of pain signals. It is a safe procedure in which a portion of nerve tissue is destroyed or removed to cause an interruption in pain signals and...

• Abdominal Gas and Colic

  Some people have problems digesting milk protein or milk sugar ( lactose intolerance). But these problems are very rare in babies. Until your doctor can evaluate your baby, it is usually not advisable to switch formula or stop breastfeeding as a means to remedy suspected food digestion problems. A vast majority of...

• Pregnancy: Belly, Pelvic, and Back Pain

  Pelvic pain and problems urinating may mean you have a bladder infection. Flank pain with fever and urinary symptoms may mean you have a kidney infection (pyelonephritis). Flank pain is felt just below the rib cage and above the waist. It can be on one or both sides of the back. If you have pelvic or flank pain and...

• Back Problems and Injuries

  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...

• Vulvodynia

  Is this topic for you? This topic is for women who have vulvodynia, a type of vulvar pain with no known cause. If your doctor has told you that the pain in your vulva is caused by something else, like an infection or a skin problem, see the topic Female Genital Problems and Injuries. What is vulvodynia...