Facts on File Encyclopedia of Health and Medicine

A acute pain PAINthat arises suddenly and is often intense or severe in its quality. Acute pain signals injury to the body resul ...

Wrapping or bracing an injured JOINTor limb pro- vides support during activity. Ice to the affected area soothes INFLAMMATION, s ...

the risk for ADVERSE REACTION, undesired side effects, and DRUG INTERACTIONis high. Among those condi- tions are many that cause ...

Massage Therapy Therapeutic massage relaxes stiff muscles and increases the flow of BLOOD. These effects improve flexibility and ...

into the blood circulation to any significant extent. Topicals come as creams (water-based), ointments (oil-based), gels, sprays ...

and breakthrough pain with chronic conditions or during recovery from injury or surgery. NARCOTICS AND ADDICTION Many people, in ...

C–E chronic fatigue syndrome A constellation of symptoms that exist within a framework of pro- found, persistent fatigue and gen ...

reach a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome. Because the length of time the person experiences symptoms is a crucial element o ...

that causes degeneration in the joints as well as to relieve the pain of the degenerative changes. Therapeutic methods for chron ...

ATTACKmay also be a precipitating event. The doc- tor may use X-ray, bone scan, nerve conduction studies, and other procedures t ...

H headache PAIN perceived as coming from the face and head. Headache is a common experience, with about 45 million adults in the ...

send to cells that direct their activities) cause the abnormal vessel activity. Migraines tend to run in families, which support ...

headache improves or goes away with the medica- tion but then returns when the medication wears off or the person does not take ...

376 Pain and Pain Management TYPES OF CHRONIC HEADACHES Type of Headache Characteristic Symptoms Treatment Approaches cluster se ...

often effective for relieving the pain of headache once it develops. Severe headache of any type may require narcotic analgesic ...

L–M living with pain Approaches and methods for improving QUALITY OF LIFEwhen PAINis part of daily living. For one in five Ameri ...

OSTEOARTHRITIS, to be maldynia because the pain, though persistent and long-term, results from an identifiable cause. The pain a ...

N neural blockade (nerve block) An injection of an analgesic medication into a NERVEto block the transmission of PAINto the CENT ...

the dendrites of neurons that detect pain and initi- ate transmission of pain signals to the CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM. Neurogenic ...

P pain An unpleasant perception in response to a stimulus to the body. Multiple mechanisms con- tribute to the perception of pai ...