ABCs of pain: R is for…
July 18, 2008 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
R is for…
rubber duckie!
And R is also for:
Radiating pain: If you tell your doctor or nurse about the pain you are having, you’ll likely be asked if the pain is radiating. This means, does the pain go beyond the original spot. For example, if you have pain in your stomach area, does it radiate to the back or up into the chest?
Repetitive stress injury: These days, when we hear repetitive stress injury, or RSI, most people automatically think of carpal tunnel syndrome. However, RSIs are injuries that can happen anywhere on the body and are caused by doing the same motion again and again over a long period of time. This could be tennis elbow, back pain, neck pain, and so on.
Rebound pain: Sometimes, when people are living with chronic pain, they take more pain medications than they should. They feel better so they continue to do so. However, when their pain – often headaches – they just take more medication. But, what they may be feeling is called rebound pain. It’s the body’s reaction to the wearing off of the pain reliever.
Range of motion: As you move your arm or leg around, or your foot or hand, if you don’t have any pain or problems, you likely have a full range of motion. That means your joint is allowing you to move about as it should and as you want it. If you have problems with a joint, this range of motion may be limited. This limitation can tell your doctor or physiotherapist a lot about how well or how badly your joint is doing with treatment.
Rheumatoid arthritis: A very common type of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis is caused by inflammation in the joints. The joints become thick, red, and painful. The joints can also become quite deformed as a result of the inflammation and pain.
Here are a few sites that can tell you more about RA:
Radiculopathy: The term radiculopathy refers to a disease of the spinal nerve roots and spinal nerves. It results in pain going from the spine and radiating outwards.
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD): This is the old name of what is now called complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).
Image: Newscom
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