Rickets : Symptoms

Impaired growth; Increased bone fractures; Muscle cramps; Short stature (adults less than 5 feet tall.

Pain is a universal human experience. The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage." Pain may be a symptom of an underlying disease or disorder, or a disorder in its own right. At the same time that pain is a universal experience, however, it is also a complex one. While the physical sensations involved in pain may be constant throughout history, the ways in which humans express and treat pain are shaped by their respective cultures and societies. Since the 1980s, research in the neurobiology of pain has been accompanied by studies of the psychological and sociocultural factors that influence people's experience of pain, their use of health care systems, and their compliance with various treatments for pain. As of 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to pain treatment that takes this complexity into account.

Expert-reviewed information summary about pain as a complication of cancer or its treatment. Approaches to the management and treatment of cancer-associated pain are discussed.

Pain, medically termed "nociception," is a response to noxious stimuli that is conveyed to the brain by sensory neurons . The discomfort signals actual or impending injury to the body. However, pain is more than a sensation, or the physical awareness of pain; it also includes perception, the subjective interpretation of the discomfort. Perception gives information on the pain's location, intensity, and something about its nature. The various conscious and unconscious responses to both sensation and perception, including the emotional response, add further definition to the overall concept of pain.

Communicating About PainResourcesAmerican Pain Foundation888-615-7246www.painfoundation.orgAmerican Chronic Pain Associationwww.theacpa.orgThe National Pain Foundation www.painconnection.orgYou have a right to have pain treated. Untreated pain can...

Pain is an unpleasant feeling that is conveyed to the brain by sensory neurons. The discomfort signals actual or potential injury to the body. However, pain is more than a sensation, or the physical awareness of pain; it also includes perception, the subjective interpretation of the discomfort. Perception gives information on the pain's location, intensity, and something about its nature. The various conscious and unconscious responses to both sensation and perception, including the emotional response, add further definition to the overall concept of pain.

Measuring Your PainA pain scale helps you rate pain intensity. In the scale, 0 means no pain, and 10 is the worst pain possible.

Pain is an unpleasant feeling that is conveyed to the brain by nerves in the body.

Pain is an unpleasant feeling that is conveyed to the brain by sensory neurons. The discomfort signals actual or potential injury to the body. However, pain is more than a sensation, or the physical awareness of pain; it also includes perception, the subjective interpretation of the discomfort. Perception gives information on the pain's location, intensity, and something about its nature. The various conscious and unconscious responses to both sensations and perception, including the emotional response, add further definition to the overall concept of pain.

This comprehensive report describes the many causes of pain, the latest treatments, and the best preventive strategies.

Children who experience verbal abuse are at as much risk for developing anxiety or depression as those who are abused physically or sexually. This may be due to the fact that verbal abuse is likely to persist over a lengthy period of time.

Examines the role of forgiveness in personal health and happiness, ranging from reduced stress to improved relationships.

I have recurring sores in my mouth, most generally on the sides of my tongue, and the tip of my tongue gets very tender and sore. Do I have a vitamin deficiency? What else could be the cause of this?

True muscle weakness means that full effort does not produce a normal muscle contraction or movement. A voluntary muscle contraction is generated when the brain sends a signal through the spinal cord and nerves to a muscle.

Weakness is a reduction in the strength of one or more muscles.

Bone pain represents one of the most debilitating side effects of the metastases of high-incidence cancers such as breast, prostate, lung, and multiple myeloma (myelomatosis). Severe bone pain is frequent, reported by greater than 65% of patients suffering with bone metastases. The most common sites affected include the pelvis, femur, skull, and vertebra. The patient often describes the pain as dull and aching, localized at the site affected; however, some patients experience short, shooting pain that radiates out from the torso to the extremities. Movement typically aggravates the pain. Bone pain can signal disease progression, a new infection, or a complication from treatment. Pain is a reliable early indicator of complications from metastases-osteoporosis, hypercalcemia , fractures, and spinal cord compression . These conditions not only adversely affect the patient's quality of life, but in some cases may create such a decline that death results not from the metastases, but solely from bone-and skeletal-related complications. Patient complaints of bone pain require diagnostic confirmation, usually by radiographic techniques. Plain-film radiography may adequately detect typical lesions from metastatic causes, but may not be sensitive enough to detect certain complications. In these cases, radionuclide scintigraphy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are the preferred diagnostic tools.

Delayed growth is poor or abnormally slow height or weight gains in a child younger than age 5. See also: Short stature

When children believe they are different in some way, they feel bad. Whether because of their height or some other characteristic, they are going to be aware of differences.

What are the treatments for bow legs? Robert Shmerling, M.D., is associate physician and clinical chief of rheumatology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an associate professor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is an active teacher in the Internal Medicine Residency Program, serving as the Robinson Firm Chief. He is also a teacher in the Rheumatology Fellowship Program and has been a practicing rheumatologist for over 25 years.

Skeletal limb abnormalities refer to a variety of bone structure problems in the arms or legs (limbs.

Short stature refers to any person who is significantly below the average height for a person of the same age and sex - specifically, the shortest 3 - 5% of the population. The term often refers to children or adolescents who are significantly below the average height of their peers.

Scoliosis is a curving of the spine. The spine curves away from the middle or sideways.

Scoliosis is a side-to-side curvature of the spine.

Scoliosis is defined as an abnormal side-to-side or front-to-back curvature of the spine.

Experts aren't sure what causes most scoliosis, but if anyone in your family has it, your child has a 20 percent chance of developing it.

Abnormal curvature of the spine. Beginning in childhood or adolescence, scoliosis curves the spine so that the shape of the body is distorted. The disease can cause pain, deformity, and other medical problems if not properly treated. Scoliosis is defined medically as a sideways (lateral) spinal curvature of eleven degrees or more. Only lateral curvatures constitute scoliosis, as distinct from an excessive rounding of the back with rounded shoulders and sunken chest (hyperkyphosis) or an abnormal forward curve of the lower back (hyperlordosis, also called swayback). Scoliosis eventually pulls the rib cage out of its normal position, crowding the ribs inside the curve and pulling those outside it apart. If severe enough, it can damage internal organs and impair breathing. In cases where scoliosis is painful, the pain is generally increased by bending, extended standing, and heavy work. The lateral curvatures of scoliosis are either C- or S- shaped. The C-shaped right thoracic curve shifts the ribs on the right side and can squeeze the heart and lungs. Lower C-shaped curves include the thoracolumbar curve, stretching from the thoracic vertebrae to the lumbar region, and the lumbar curve, which twists the hips. The most common S-shaped curve is the double major curve, which consists of a curve in the chest area and one going in the opposite direction in the lumbar area. S-shaped curves generally cause less deformity because the two parts balance each other out somewhat. The spinal curvatures of scoliosis are measured by a method known as Cobb's angle, which is the angle created by the intersection of lines perpendicular to the top and bottom vertebrae of the curve. Having a standard of measurement allows for accurate and consistent communication between physicians. It also allows the progress of a single patient to be accurately tracked over time. Roughly 80% of scoliosis cases are idiopathic, meaning that they have no known cause. The remainder are caused by a variety of conditions, including birth defects, chronically poor posture, uneven leg lengths, accidental injuries, nerve and muscle diseases such as muscular dystrophy and poliomyelitis, and diseases of the connective tissues, such as Marfan's syndrome and osteogenesis imperfecta. Idiopathic scoliosis is known to have a hereditary component. While idiopathic scoliosis usually appears in adolescence, the disorder may also begin in childhood or infancy. When it occurs in infants, it affects males more frequently than females, at a ratio of 3:2. Unlike scoliosis that is diagnosed at later ages, infantile idiopathic scoliosis (onset between birth and 3 years of age) usually corrects itself. Although scoliosis at this age is virtually unknown in the United States and Canada, it is as common as the adolescent form in other parts of the world. In contrast to infantile scoliosis, the juvenile variety (onset between ages four to 10) is equally common among boys and girls and, like the adolescent variety, shows a hereditary influence. Scoliosis is most likely to become apparent during the growth spurts between ages 10 and 15, when it strikes 2-3% of young people. In this age group, girls are affected three times as often as boys and are 10 times more likely than boys to have spinal curvatures of 30 degrees or more. Early warning signs of scoliosis are generally provided by children's posture and the fit of their clothes. One hip or shoulder might be higher than the other, and the head may tilt, or a shoulder blade protrude. One arm may look longer than the other, or there may be asymmetric creases at the waist. When the child bends over, the ribs tend to form a hump on one side. Uneven hemlines or pant legs are other common clues. When signs of scoliosis appear, prompt diagnosis is important. Early treatment with a brace can prevent the need for surgery later on. Many states require schools to have screening programs for scoliosis, and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends th

Detailed information on scoliosis, including types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment

Scoliosis is a side-to-side curvature of the spine of 10 degrees or greater.

Detailed information on scoliosis, including types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment

Scoliosis is a side-to-side curvature of the spine.

Detailed information on scoliosis, including types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment

Scoliosis is a side-to-side curvature of the spine of 10 degrees or greater.

Detailed information on scoliosis, including types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment

Detailed information on scoliosis, including types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment

Scoliosis is a side-to-side (lateral) curvature of the spine of 10 degrees or greater.

Pain is an unpleasant sensation triggered in the nervous system that can range from mild discomfort to unbearable agony. Pain receptors located throughout the body send electrical impulses via the spinal cord to the brain.

Muscle cramps are involuntary and often painful contractions (movements) of the muscles.

Muscle cramps -- involuntary muscle contractions -- are common. But even though they can be quite painful, they don't cause damage.

Cramps do not mean there is a problem with the muscle itself; rather, experts believe they happen when the fluid and electrolyte imbalance catches up to you or when a nerve overstimulates a muscle.

Muscle spasms and cramps are spontaneous, often painful muscle contractions.

Muscle spasms and cramps are spontaneous, often painful muscle contractions.

The spine is a shaft comprised of over 25 small bones called vertebrae that support the upper body. The cervical spine (C-spine) is the upper portion, comprised of 7 vertebrae.

Bone pain or tenderness is aching or other discomfort in one or more bones.