YPARC · 47

Pain conditions

Find a topic by location or type of pain. Each page explains typical symptoms, assessment, approaches to care and situations needing prompt attention.

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Back and neck

Back and lower back pain

Lower back pain may involve muscles, joints, discs or nerve roots. It may stay in the back or spread to the buttock and leg.

Neck pain

Neck pain may arise from muscles, joints, discs or nerves. It sometimes spreads to the shoulder, shoulder blade or arm.

Sciatica

Sciatica is pain spreading down the leg due to irritation of the sciatic nerve or its nerve roots, often from a lower back problem.

Head and face

Headache

Headache is not a single diagnosis. Assessment distinguishes migraine, tension-type headache, neck-related or nerve pain, and other causes.

Trigeminal neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia causes brief, severe, electric shock-like attacks on one side of the face.

Occipital neuralgia

Occipital nerve pain spreads from the upper neck towards the back of the head. It needs to be distinguished from migraine and other headaches.

Glossopharyngeal neuralgia

This is an uncommon nerve pain affecting the throat, back of the tongue or ear, often in brief attacks.

Facial neuropathic pain

Facial neuropathic pain includes different disorders of nerves carrying facial sensation. Paroxysmal neuralgia and pain after nerve injury are distinct types.

Persistent facial pain

Persistent facial pain does not always follow one nerve or tooth. The term idiopathic is used only after appropriate assessment.

Post-traumatic trigeminal pain

Trigeminal nerve injury after facial trauma or a dental procedure may cause persistent pain and sensory change.

Shoulder, elbow and hand

Shoulder pain

Shoulder pain may involve tendons, bursae, joints, restricted movement or pain referred from the neck. The source guides treatment.

Rotator cuff pain

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that move and stabilise the shoulder. Pain may involve tendon irritation or a tear.

Tennis elbow

Pain on the outer elbow may involve the tendons that extend the wrist. It also affects people who do not play sports.

Golfer’s elbow

Tendon pain on the inner elbow is often linked to repeated gripping or wrist flexion.

Hip, knee and foot

Knee pain

Knee pain may arise from joints, menisci, ligaments, tendons or overload. Pain severity does not always match X-ray or MRI findings.

Hip pain

Pain in the groin, side of the hip or buttock may come from the joint, tendons, soft tissues or referred lower back pain.

Heel pain

Heel pain can arise from the plantar fascia, Achilles tendon, fat pad, nerves or bone. Its precise location matters.

Plantar fasciitis

The plantar fascia supports the arch of the foot. Pain associated with it is often felt under the heel during the first steps in the morning or after rest.

Achilles tendinopathy

Pain in the Achilles tendon behind the heel is often linked to changes in load and tendon capacity.

Patellar tendinopathy

Pain in the tendon below the kneecap often increases with jumping, running or rapid changes of direction.

Gluteal tendinopathy

A problem in the gluteal tendons can cause pain on the outer hip. It is one contributor to greater trochanteric pain syndrome.

Greater trochanteric pain syndrome

This is an umbrella term for outer hip pain involving gluteal tendons and nearby soft tissues. It is not always simply bursitis.

Metatarsalgia

Metatarsalgia describes pain in the ball of the foot at the base of the toes. It may reflect mechanical overload or another local problem.

Sports overuse pain

When training load rises faster than tissues can adapt, pain may develop in tendons, muscles or bones.

Nerve pain

Neuropathic pain

Neuropathic pain is linked to a lesion or disease of the nervous system that carries sensation. It describes a pain mechanism rather than one diagnosis.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Compression of the median nerve in the wrist tunnel can cause hand pain and altered sensation.

Cubital tunnel syndrome

Compression of the ulnar nerve near the elbow particularly affects sensation in the little and ring fingers.

Morton’s neuroma

Irritation of a nerve between the toes often feels like burning pain or a pebble in the shoe.

Peripheral neuropathic pain

This pain involves nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. It can affect one nerve or several nerves, for example in the feet.

Diabetic neuropathic pain

Nerve damage associated with diabetes can cause pain, especially in both feet. Numbness also matters, even without pain.

Nerve entrapment pain

Local pressure on a nerve may cause pain, numbness or weakness in its distribution. Carpal and cubital tunnel syndromes are specific examples.

Meralgia paraesthetica

Compression of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve alters sensation on the outer thigh. This nerve does not control muscles.

Postherpetic neuralgia

This is nerve pain that persists after a shingles rash, sometimes after the skin has healed.

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)

CRPS is a persistent limb pain condition, often after injury, with changes in sensation, movement and skin.

Pudendal neuralgia

Pain involving the pudendal nerve may affect the perineum, genital or anal area. Similar pain also has other causes.

Intercostal neuralgia

Pain involving nerves between the ribs may spread around the chest or abdominal wall. Chest pain cannot be assumed to be nerve pain from symptoms alone.