Knee pain affects approximately one-third of all Americans at any given point, with as many as 10 million suffering from severe joint pain. Knee pain is the second most common kind of chronic pain. It is often associated with osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease wherein the cushioning cartilage between the bones deteriorates. Osteoarthritis is a progressive illness, and the damage…

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Pain is a natural and essential sensory system, a means with which to navigate the world and identify dangerous stimuli. Our ability to feel pain and subconsciously develop pain-averse habits keep us safe in many contexts, whether it’s the good sense not to touch a hot stove or learning which garden shrubs cause hives when…

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The human spine houses the spinal cord, the second half of the central nervous system after the brain, and is a critical conductor for signals between the brain and the rest of our body. Unlike many other nerves, the spinal cord cannot regenerate after being severed, so the spine plays a dual role in allowing…

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An estimated 250,000 to 500,000 patients in the US are diagnosed with spinal stenosis in any given year, a dangerous condition wherein the canal of the spinal cord grows tighter and more constrictive, putting pressure on the spine and the surrounding nerve roots. Spinal stenosis is one of many degenerative spinal conditions associated with age and…

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Back pain is one of the most ubiquitous forms of pain, with a laundry list of potential causes and problems. While often innocuous, some forms of back pain can indicate a growing bone health problem, autoimmune condition, or severe nerve issue. From muscular degeneration to spinal disc conditions to nerve problems and tumors, identifying the cause of your back pain…

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The human spine is a column of individual bone structures stacked atop each other, separated by rigid yet flexible spinal discs. Over time, both the bone’s integrity and the disc’s flexibility can wane, leading to vertebral fractures, narrowing spinal canals, and herniated discs. Genetic and external factors can accelerate or exacerbate these issues, ranging from…

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Lumbar sympathetic nerve blocks or lumbar sympathetic block injections are a diagnostic tool and a treatment modality for certain types of lower back pain and other forms of pain. A sympathetic nerve block targets a set of sympathetic nerves with a numbing agent to temporarily affect nerve function. This can help doctors determine if a specific set…

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Peripheral neuropathy pain is the most common kind of neuropathic pain or nerve pain. Neuropathic pain differentiates itself from nociceptive pain in that the cause of the pain is nerve-related, rather than the nerve simply playing the role of pain messenger. All pain ultimately begins in our nerves, as signals move through the body into our…

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The lower back is one of the most common pain sites. While protected by the spine, our lower back is often at the center of many injuries due to the lack of support from the ribs, hip girdle, or shoulder girdle. Most causes of lower back pain are mechanical or structural, caused by acute injuries…

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Arthritic pain affects over one in five Americans in the form of rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, fibromyalgia, and other related conditions. While arthritis means joint inflammation, over a hundred different recognized arthritic conditions, many of which are autoimmune problems. Arthritis is used to describe joint pain, but its symptoms are not always limited to the joints….

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