We all experience everyday body aches and pains at some point in our lives. Pain is the body’s way of arresting our attention, a signal that something isn’t quite right. It maybe a headache, muscle soreness due to moving heavy furniture or even heartburn from gorging on too much junk food.
Most of us shrug off random pains as they do not hamper our ability to perform normal day activities and typically resolve within a day or so. Besides we are sufficiently in tune with our body to know when the pain is just a bother.
Medics caution that when the discomfort comes on suddenly, is lingering or just seems different, it merits medical intervention or it may snowball into a potentially serious problem.
We at MedGuru outline 7 mysterious pains that should not be ignored.
1.Severe head pain
If you are often plagued by a sudden, severe headache it could be migraine, however, if it doesn’t exhibit migraine symptoms like visual aura, it could be a classic sign of a brain aneurysm. Unless you’re sure of what caused the pain, doctors advise an immediate visit to the ER to get it checked out.
2. Discomfort in chest, throat, jaw, shoulder or arm
In terms of heart disease, chest pain is not the only indication that something is amiss. According to medics, heart conditions typically appear as uneasiness which can show up in your upper chest, shoulder, arm, abdomen, lower jaw or throat and may be accompanied by nausea.
Ignoring an unexplained, persistent discomfort and delaying medical attention especially if you are at risk of heart disease could be your ultimate undoing. Get to an emergency room fast and just pray it turns out to be something trivial.
3. Back pain
Given that pain in the lower back is quite common, most people turn a blind eye to it. Well, lower-back pain could be sign of kidney trouble. The discomfort could be triggered by a kidney stone. Even an infected kidney leads to swelling which in turn causes throbbing in your lower back. A kidney tumor that has grown too large can cause pain in the lower back, as well. It’s imperative to get back pain checked out or else it will only deteriorate over time. Getting to root cause of pain in your lower back could save your kidneys and your life.
4.A throbbing tooth
A terrible tooth ache could be due to a damaged nerve, caused by the enamel cracking or rotting. Unless it is fixed fast, bacteria in your mouth can invade the nerve and subsequently spread throughout your body. If your tooth is already infected, you’ll need to undergo the root canal procedure in which the tooth’s bacteria-laden pulp is removed and swapped with plastic caulking material.
5. Severe abdominal pain
An unexplained pain in your abdominal area could be a sign of numerous things gone wrong. This pain could be due to intestinal blockages, gallbladder and pancreas problems or stomach ulcers. Issues with close organs such as kidneys, lungs or the uterus could result in abdominal ache. Soreness in your lower-right abdomen may mean your appendix is inflamed. Please get it removed and do not risk a rupture.
6. Burning sensations in feet and hands
Burning or pins-and-needles sensation in the feet or legs, even when you haven’t been sitting for too long in front of the TV can be an indication of nerve damage. Warning signs such as tingling, numbness and a stinging sensation all point to peripheral neuropathy. This has many causes, including diabetes, alcohol abuse and vitamin B-12 deficiency. Shingles, injury, infections and toxins can also cause nerve damage.
7. Calf pain
If you have swelling and pain in your calf muscles, see a doctor immediately. It could be due to deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot that can occur in the leg’s deep veins. It can be life-threatening. Cancer, obesity, immobility, long-distance travel, pregnancy, and age are among the risk factors.
Edited by Neelam Goswami on 13-03-2014.
