Symptoms

Acute pain can last a moment; rarely does it become chronic pain. Chronic pain persists for long periods. It is resistant to most medical treatments and cause severe problems.

The Symptoms of Chronic Pain Include:

• Mild to severe pain that does not go away
• Pain that may be described as shooting, burning, aching, or electrical
• Feeling of discomfort, soreness, tightness, or stiffness

Pain is Not a Symptom That Exists Alone. Other Problems Associated with Pain Can Include:

• Fatigue
• Sleeplessness
• Withdrawal from activity and increased need to rest
• Weakened Immune System
• Changes in mood including hopelessness, fear, depression, irritability, anxiety, and stress
• Disability

Causes

Anything from a bad mattress to stomach ulcers can cause chronic pain. While it may begin with an injury or illness, pain can develop a psychological dimension once the physical problem heals.

• Nerve Pain

When nerve fibers get damaged, the result can be chronic pain.  Read about the very common causes of neuropathic pain, like diabetes.

• Chest Pain

Certainly chest pain is not something to ignore. But you should know that it has many possible causes.  Things like Hiatal hernia, rib subluxation, indigestion, gallbladder attacks, intercostal inflammation, sore muscles, and even heart attacks.  Having these properly evaluated is important.

• Burns and Pain

Burns differ in type and severity -- as does the pain.  If you have been burned, contact your Emergency Department at the local hospital to address the burn.  The severity of the burn can cause a person to die if not properly treated.

• Compressed Nerve (Pinched Nerve)

Pinched nerves can sometimes lead to other conditions such as peripheral neuropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, and tennis elbow. Early diagnosis can prevent  permanent damage. Consulting with a Chiropractor (for the cause) or Neurologist (for the symptoms) will help address this.

• Foot Pain

Foot pain is one of the most common problems people experience.

• Hand Pain

Hand pain has many causes, including injury and disease. Fortunately, many of those causes can be treated and the symptoms eased.

• Knee Pain

With today’s increasingly active society, the number of knee problems is increasing. Knee pain has a wide variety of specific causes and treatments.

• Lower Leg Pain

If you're suffering from lower leg pain, you may wonder if it's serious or something you can treat at home.

• Pelvic Pain

Although pelvic pain often refers to pain in the region of women's internal reproductive organs, pelvic pain can be present in either sex and can stem from multiple causes.

• Elbow Pain

Find out about the common causes and treatments of elbow pain.

• Low Back Pain

Fortunately, low back pain often gets better on its own. When it doesn't, there are effective treatments.

Symptoms & Types

The feeling of physical pain can vary greatly -- mild, sharp, severe, dull. Learn the symptoms for different types of pain, so you can describe them to a doctor.

Pain Types and Classifications

Even though the experience of pain varies from one person to the next, it is possible to categorize the different types of pain.

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Learn about carpal tunnel syndrome's causes, symptoms, and treatments.

• Abdominal Pain

Whether it is a mild stomach ache, sharp pain, or stomach cramps, abdominal pain has numerous causes.

• Hip Pain: Causes and Treatment

Despite its durability, the hip joint isn't indestructible. With age and use, the cartilage can wear down or become damaged.

• Chronic Knee and Joint Pain

Arthritis that affects your “shock absorbers” is the cause of pain and disability in knee and hip joints that can lead to surgery.

• Piriformis Syndrome

Learn the symptoms, causes, and treatments of piriformis syndrome.

• Back Pain

The causes of back pain can be complex -- accidents, muscle strains, sports injuries. Stiffness, pain, lower back pain, and pain radiating down the leg are symptoms of back pain.

• Chronic Neck and Shoulder Pain

Overexertion, pinched nerves -- all sorts of joint and muscle problems can cause neck and shoulder pain.

• Whiplash

A car accident or any abrupt jerking motion to the head and neck -- and suddenly you have serious neck, shoulder, back pain. Standard X-rays of the neck may not show any injuries. 

• Chronic Muscle Pain

Use your muscles incorrectly, too much, too little -- and you’ve got muscle pain. 

• Muscle Pain

Overuse injuries -- muscle sprains, strains, and pains -- result from all sorts of assaults, small to severe. 

• Trigeminal Neuralgia

It’s considered one of the most painful conditions in medicine. The face pain it causes can be treated. Learn more about what causes trigeminal neuralgia and treatments for face pain caused by it.

• Shingles Pain (Postherpetic Neuralgia)

A complication of shingles is the painful after-effects known as postherpetic neuralgia. This condition occurs only in some people and after the rash of shingles has disappeared.

• Sciatica Pain

When your rear or leg muscles worsen when sitting for a long period of time, climbing stairs, walking, or running -- it might be sciatica. Read up on this common problem.

• Arachnoiditis: Spinal Pain

Inflamed tissue, which surrounds the spinal cord -- caused by injury, infection, or other assaults -- can cause great disability and pain.

• Joint Pain

See the causes of joint pain and how to treat it with both home remedies and prescribed medication.

• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

It’s a baffling, intensely painful disorder that can develop from a seemingly minor injury, yet is believed to result from high levels of nerve impulses being sent to the affected disorder.

• Central Pain Syndrome

A stroke, multiple sclerosis, or spinal cord injuries can result in chronic pain and burning syndromes from damage to brain regions.

• Phantom Limb Pain

Phantom pain refers to the sensation of pain felt by patients who have had a limb amputated. Treatments are usually disappointing and do not provide relief.

• Diabetes-Related Nerve Pain (Neuropathy)

If you have diabetes, nerve damage can be a serious complication. This nerve complication can cause severe burning pain especially at night.

• Depression, Anxiety, and Pain

Depression, anxiety, and other emotional problems can cause pain -- or make existing pain worse.

• Compartment Syndrome

Learn about compartment syndrome causes, symptoms, and treatments.

Traditional Medical Treatment Options and Diagnosis

Pain Management: Treatment Overview
Medications, mind-body techniques, and acupuncture can help relieve chronic pain. Learn about your options.

• Pain Clinics

A pain clinic is a health care facility that focuses on the diagnosis and management of chronic pain.

• Natural Pain Relief

Lifestyle changes, physical therapy, counseling -- in addition to medication or surgery, these can also bring pain relief. 

• Chiropractic Care for Pain

This hands-on therapy has been shown to help in treating neck pain and headaches. Read this brief overview.

• Spine Pain and Treatments

If you have painful compression fractures in the spine, both surgical and nonsurgical treatments are explored.

• Pain and Alternative Therapy

Research shows that acupuncture and other non-medical treatments can provide pain relief.

• Pain Medications: OTC and Prescription

This overview provides a look at the options for pain medication, including possible side effects.

• Narcotic Pain Medications

Learn about risks vs. benefits of narcotics used to treat severe pain. These type of medications are extremely addicting and can be nearly impossible to come off of once started.  STRONGLY CONSIDER THIS BEFORE STARTING.  This information can be obtained by looking at the medication recommended information sheet associated with the specific medication offered. Your doctor or pharmacist will have this for you.

• Nerve Block Injections and Pain (Local Anesthesia)

When a local anesthetic is injected, it causes a nerve block -- which blocks the pain. Learn more about nerve blocks and how they’re used.

• Trigger Point Injections

Learn about injections used to treat serious muscle “knots” called trigger points. Click here.

• Spinal Cord Stimulation

Low-level electrical signals can block pain signals from reaching the brain.

• Spinal Drug Delivery Systems

These systems help people with cancer or chronic pain.

• Pain Medication Addiction

Information on pain medication addiction and the differences between addiction, tolerance, and dependence should be understood before starting any medication.

• Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) Pump

PCA pumps have many plusses in pain control. Learn more about PCA pumps.

• TENS (Electrothermal Therapy)

If you need short-term pain relief, TENS might help. Learn how TENS can scramble your brain’s perception of pain.

• Bioelectric Therapy for Pain

This is a safe alternative to pain medication. Learn how bioelectric therapy can block pain messages to the brain.

• Surgery and Pain

At the last resort, there are surgical options to treat pain.

• Treating Cancer Pain

It’s important to start cancer pain treatment as early as possible to get the most benefit.

• Treating Pain in Children

The most difficult task involved in treating pain in children is obtaining an objective and accurate measurement of the pain.

• Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an age-old healing practice of traditional Chinese medicine in which thin needles are placed at specific points in the body. It's primarily used to relieve pain but also has been used to treat other conditions.

Medicines Two Choices for You

What to Discuss with Your Doctor

Diagnosis

Time to Call a Chronic Pain Doctor?

If your chronic pain is affecting your quality of life, it’s time to see a doctor. This checklist will help you decide.

Doctors Who Treat Pain

Pain medicine doctors are experts at diagnosing the cause of pain and offering medications to treat it.

15 Questions to Ask Your Doctor

Prepare for your doctor appointment. Take this list of questions and others that you have.

Tests

Diagnosing Pain

To get to the root of pain, doctors can use several tests. This article provides an overview. Click here.

Quality-of-Life Scale for Pain

Quality of life scale is one tool that can help your doctor assess your pain. This same scale can help you and your doctor monitor improvement, deterioration, or treatment-related complications.

Treatment & Care

Pain is complex, so there are many treatment options -- medications, therapies, and mind-body techniques. Learn the benefits and risks of each, including addiction.

Dr. Huntoon's Alternative Medical Care with Prevention and Quick Tips

In the past decade, strong evidence has accumulated regarding the benefits of mind-body therapies, acupuncture, and some nutritional supplements for treating pain. Consult with your Holistic Chiropractor for more information about specific treatments for your condition.

Dr. Huntoon is certified in a specific ground-breaking technique called Neurologic Relief Centers Technique (NRCT) and can be found at www.nrc.md  Watch any of the video testimonials and read any of the articles and call if you think this may be your solution to your Chronic Pain.  It is highly effective in 85 % of those who have the test done.  This test is done FREE of charge in an effort to compile research on the effectiveness of this form of care.

Watch this video of one patient and the dramatic results she experienced at Advanced Alternative Medicine Center. 

• Care

Chronic Pain Control: Pain Relief Without Pills

Many people don’t like taking a pill regularly for pain relief. Here are some alternatives.

• Chronic Pain and Lifestyle Changes

A few changes in everyday habits can help get pain under control.

• Pain and Drug Addiction

Learn more about addiction of pain medication -- and signs of addiction.

• Palliative Care

This pain relief care is for those with cancer, heart failure, or who are dying.

• Cancer Pain Control

Pain from cancer or cancer treatment can be serious -- but it can be controlled in almost every case.

• Living & Managing

Day-to-day life can be a battle when you’ve got chronic pain. With these tips, the good days will outnumber the bad days -- and quality of life will win.

Living and Coping

Stress Relief for Pain

Research over the past 25 years has shown that pain is influenced by emotional and social factors. These need to be addressed with NeuroEmotional Technique (NET) along with the physical causes of pain.

Sexual Intimacy

Chronic pain can cause some sexual problems. When you are in pain, the last thing you probably want to do is be intimate with your partner.

Chronic pain is complex, and there are times when there are no easy answers.