This page contains information about several common, painful, diseases and conditions. It also contains links to other websites that will provide valuable information for patients and their families.
Bone Disorders
Arthritis
Osteoporosis
TMJ
Other Diseases and Conditions
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Shingles
Arthritis
Arthritis
is a group of conditions involving damage to the joints of the body.
Arthritis is the leading cause of di
sability
in people older than fifty-five years. There a re different forms of arthritis and each has a different cause. The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease which is usually a result of trauma or infection of the joint, and/or age. Other arthritis forms of arthritis include rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis which are autoimmune diseases. "Autoimmune diseases" mean that the body literally attacks itself. Another form of arthritis is septic arthritis which is caused by joint infection. "Gout" arthritis is another form and it is caused by deposition of uric acid crystals in the joint, causing inflammation. There is also an uncommon form of gout caused by the formation of rhomboid crystals of calcium pyrophosphate. This gout is known as pseudogout. Children can get arthritis too, this is called juvenile arthritis.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis, which means "porous bones," causes bones to become weak and brittle. They can become so brittle that even mild stresses like bending over, lifting a vacuum cleaner or coughing can cause a fracture. In most cases, bones weaken when you have low levels of calcium, phosphorus and other minerals in your bones. A common result of osteoporosis is fractures. Most factures occur in the spine, hip or wrist. Although it's often thought of as a women's disease, osteoporosis also affects many men. And aside from people who have osteoporosis, many more have low bone density.
TMJ
Temporomandibular joint disorder, also known
as TMJD, TMJ,TMD or TMJ syndrome, is an umbrella term covering acute or chronic inflammation of the temporomandibular joint. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) connects the lower jaw to the skull. The disorder and resultant dysfunction can result in significant pain and impairment. There are a variety of quite different treatment approaches because this disorder overlaps between several health-care disciplines,
in particular, dentistry, neurology, physical therapy, and psychology. The temporomandibular joint is susceptible to many of the conditions that affect other joints in the body, including ankylosis, arthritis, trauma, dislocations,
developmental anomalies, and neoplasia.
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is an uncommon, chronic condition that usually affects your arm or leg. Rarely, the disease can affect other parts of your body. You may experience intense burning or aching pain along with swelling, skin discoloration, altered temperature, abnormal sweating and hypersensitivity in the affected area.
Back to Top
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a disorder classified by the presence of chronic widespread pain. While the criteria for such an entity have not yet been thoroughly developed, the recognition that fibromyalgia involves more than just pain has led to the frequent use of the term "fibromyalgia syndrome". It is not contagious, and recent studies suggest that people with fibromyalgia may be genetically predisposed. The disorder is not directly life-threatening. The degree of symptoms may vary greatly from day to day with periods of flares (severe worsening of symptoms) or remission; however, the disorder is generally perceived as non-progressive.
- Information from the National Pain Foundation
- FDA Approves Fibromyalgia Drug Savella, January 8, 2009
- Insurance Barriers to Fibromyalgia National Survey
-
- Research sheds light on pain and activity levels of fibromyalgia patients. Daniel Clauw, M.D., senior author of the study, is a current member of the ACPSM (2007)
- Helping Our Pain and Exhaustion, Inc. - H.O.P.E.
- Fibromyalgia - A Brief Overview, presented by Dennis W. Dobritt, DO, DABPM, FIPP
- Fibromyalgia: Fitting the Pieces Together, a presentation by Sharon Ostalecki, Ph.D.
Back to Top
Shingles
Shingles is a disease caused by the same virus that caused chickenpox. Once a person has had chickenpox, the virus can live, but remain inactive in certain nerve roots within your body for many years; if the virus becomes active again, usually later in life, it can cause shingles.
Spotlight On Shingles
Shingles - Information from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Back to Top
Printer Friendly
Text Version
Twitter
Facebook
Yahoo
Google
Digg
reddit
Newsvine
StumbleUpon
Bookmark
Email Page
