Nerve pain is caused by injury or damage to the nerves in the peripheral nervous system, which is the nervous system located outside of the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system has two types of nerves: sensory nerves and motor...
Thoracic back pain is a common musculoskeletal complaint treated by chiropractors, physical therapists and medical doctors. According to the Spine-health website, thoracic or upper back pain may occur from trauma or sudden injury, muscle strains...
Pain is the body's natural response to injury and some illnesses. Pain is actually a defense mechanism that signals there is something wrong, meaning you either need to stop doing whatever is causing the pain or seek assistance. The body has...
When the body is injured, signals are sent from the site of damage to the spinal cord. As a central command center, the nervous system regulates the body's response to the pain through a variety of reflexes. For instance, if you are experiencing...
Lipitor is an anti-cholesterol medication used to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, as mentioned in Medline Plus, a website supported by the National Institutes of Medicine. Lipitor is classified under the HMG-CoA reducatase inhibitors,...
Your body has nerves that travel from your brain, through your spinal cord and out to your skin, muscles, bones, joints and internal organs. Some of these nerves end in nociceptors, which specialize in sensing tissue injury. When you are injured,...
Pain is a sensation created by the nervous system to alert the brain of a problem or injury to an area. Pain can be good thing when it prevents further damage. However, for some people, pain can become chronic. Chronic pain can lead to feelings of...
Athletic trainers and physical therapists sometimes use moist heat for pain relief. A company called Duro-Med Industries manufactures the Therabeads Neck Pain Relief Pack for the home-therapy product market. The company's research and development...
TENS, which stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, is a treatment often administered by a physical therapist to reduce pain. It does this without using any type of medication. A TENS unit sends a current through wires, which are...
"Idiopathic" is a term that is applied when describing any medical condition whose cause is unknown. "Neuropathy" refers to damage to the nerves. When a physician mentions "peripheral neuropathy," she is describing damage to the nerves that exist...
The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system comprises the rest of the nervous system, a network of nerves that begins where the central nervous system ends, with spinal nerve roots that extend...
Glutamate is an amino acid found in many foods, especially mushrooms, tomatoes, milk, Parmesan cheese and mackerel. Primarily used by the body to make proteins for metabolism and brain function, including cognition, memory and learning, glutamate...
Some treatments are so common and taken for granted that we use them without giving a second thought to them. Heat therapy is commonly used for pain relief, to relax tight muscles and help heal minor injuries. One of the jobs of scientists is...
Working out your muscles with resistance training is an effective way to build or maintain muscle strength, which is especially important if you are elderly and at risk for osteoporosis. However, with a busy schedule, finding time to work out is...
