Knee Pain
Sudden pain in one of the knees is usually the result of overusing the knee or injuring it.
The knee joint is particularly vulnerable to damage and pain because it takes the full weight of your body and any extra force when you run or jump.
You’re more likely to experience knee pain as you get older, and people who are overweight or do lots of sports have a higher risk of damaging their knees. Some sports that involve a lot of turning, such as football, netball and skiing, carry a particularly high risk of knee injuries.
This page summarizes some of the most common causes of pain in one or both knees, and offers advice on when you should see your general physician.
Common causes of knee pain include:
•sprains and strains
•anterior knee pain (pain around the kneecap)
•menisci or cartilage damage
•osteoarthritis
•tendonitis
•bursitis (housemaid’s knee)
•torn ligaments or tendons
•bleeding into the joint
•Osgood-Schlatter’s disease
•gout
•septic arthritis (infected knee joint)
If you suffer from any of these symptoms please contact your primary care physician and ask about obtaining a referral to our office. You can also visit our website at www.midlandspine.com for more information.
Degenerative Scoliosis
Degenerative scoliosis, also known as adult scoliosis or adult onset scoliosis, describes a side-to-side curvature of the spine cause by degeneration of the facet joints. The condition occurs most frequently occurs in people over 65 years of age. The scoliosis curve, which typically forms a “C” shape, is located in the lumbar spine.
Causes of Degenerative Scoliosis
Degenerative scoliosis is caused by a gradual deterioration of the facet joints. This is the same process that causes osteoarthritis of the spine; however, in degenerative scoliosis the pressure of these deteriorating facet joints causes a straight spine, as viewed from the back, to begin to shift so that the spine curves to one side.
SYMPTOMS AND CHARACTERISTICS
Uneven shoulders
One shoulder blade that appears more prominent than the other
Uneven waist
One hip higher than the other
Leaning to one side
Fatigue
If you suffer from any of these symptoms please contact your primary care physician and ask about obtaining a referral to our office. You can also visit our website at www.midlandspine.com for more information.
We hope you all are having a great Labor Day weekend. Our offices are closed today but will resume regular business hours tomorrow.
Foot Pain
Pain in the foot can be due to a problem in any part of the foot. Bones, ligaments, tendons, muscles, fascia, toenail beds, nerves, blood vessels, or skin can be the source of Foot pain.
Causes of Foot Pain
Heel Pain:
Plantar Fasciitis is the most common cause of heel or foot pain. Heel pain, worst in the morning when getting out of bed, is the most common symptom. Arch pain may also be present.
Treatment for plantar fasciitis includes:
•Rest
•Heel and foot Muscle Stretches
•Over-the-counter pain relievers
•Shoes with good arch support and a cushioned sole
Various other treatments for plantar fasciitis are available.
Heel Spurs are abnormal growths of bone on the bottom of the heel bone that may be caused by an abnormal gait, posture or walking, inappropriate shoes, or certain activities, like running. Spurs may cause foot pain while walking or standing. People with flat feet or high arches are more likely to have foot pain from heel spurs.
Treatment for heel spurs include:
•Cutout heel pad
•Custom-made insert (orthotic) worn in the shoe
•Wearing shoes that fit well and have shock absorbing soles
•Over-the-counter pain relievers
•Rest
If you suffer from any of these symptoms please contact your primary care physician and ask about obtaining a referral to our office. You can also visit our website at www.midlandspine.com for more information.
Face Pain
Face pain may be dull and throbbing or an intense, stabbing discomfort in the face or forehead. It can occur in one or both sides.
CAUSES
Pain that starts in the face may be caused by a nerve problem, injury, or infection. Face pain may also begin other places in the body.
Abscessed tooth (ongoing throbbing pain on one side of the lower face that gets worse with eating or touching)
Cluster headache
Herpes zoster (shingles) or herpes simplex (cold sores) infection
Injury to the face
Migraine
Myofascial pain syndrome
Sinusitis or sinus infection (dull pain and tenderness around the eyes and cheekbones that gets worse when you bend forward)
Tic douloureux
Temporomandibular joint dysfunction syndrome
Sometimes the reason for the face pain is unknown.
If you suffer from any of these symptoms please contact your primary care physician and ask about obtaining a referral to our office. You can also visit our website at www.midlandspine.com for more information.
Phantom Limb Pain
Phantom limb pain is pain that feels like it’s coming from a body part that’s no longer there. Doctors once believed this post-amputation phenomenon was a psychological problem, but experts now recognize that these real sensations originate in the spinal cord and brain. Although phantom pain occurs most often in people who’ve had an arm or leg removed, the disorder may also occur after surgeries to remove other body parts, such as the breast, penis, eye or tongue. For some people, phantom pain gets better over time without treatment. For others, managing phantom pain can be challenging. You and your doctor can work together to treat phantom pain effectively with medication or other therapies. Most people who’ve had a limb removed report that it sometimes feels as if the amputated limb is still there. This painless phenomenon, known as phantom limb sensation, may rarely occur in people who were born without limbs. Phantom limb sensations may include feelings of coldness, warmth, or itchiness or tingling, but should not be confused with phantom pain. Similarly, pain from the remaining stump of an amputated limb is not phantom pain. By definition, phantom pain feels as if the pain comes from a body part that no longer remains.
CHARACTERISTICS OF PHANTOM PAIN INCLUDE:
Onset within the first few days of amputation
Comes and goes or is continuous
Often affects the part of the limb farthest from the body, such as the foot of an amputated leg
May be described as shooting, stabbing, boring, squeezing, throbbing or burning
Sometimes feels as if the phantom part is forced into an uncomfortable position
May be triggered by pressure on the remaining part of the limb or emotional stress
If you suffer from any of these symptoms please contact your primary care physician and ask about obtaining a referral to our office. You can also visit our website at www.midlandspine.com for more information.
Office Hours:
Wednesday, November 25th - Closed at Noon
Thursday, November 26th - Closed
Friday, November 27th - Closed
To all the American patriots who answered their country’s call and earned the title of veteran, thank you. We will forever honor your service and sacrifice. #VeteransDay
