Ignoring Pain Is Dangerous Contact a Healthcare Professional If You Notice Any of These Symptoms

Pain comes in all shapes and strengths and can manifest for various reasons. It’s easy to ignore pain, especially when you may have experienced it before and nothing serious came of it. For instance, you may be accustomed to a type of chest pain or headache. You might assume the chest pain is possibly wind or that the headache is just one of those stress migraines. Sometimes it’s more. Today we’re talking about pain that you shouldn’t ignore — because sometimes it might just be underlying health issues that need medical attention sooner than later.

Back Pain

Back pain can occur for several reasons, and sometimes it comes down to lifestyle choices. If you have a permanent job that involves sitting most of the day, it can cause lower back pain. You could also experience back pain if you injure your back or pull a muscle in your back hence straining it somehow.

Nerve pain can cause severe and persistent back pain, which can lead to days where you might experience debilitation, not being able to fulfill daily tasks as they affect your back. Nerve pain can be because of a pinched nerve or spinal conditions and often causes symptoms like tingling or numbness in the legs and arms. You should seek medical attention if you’re experiencing potential nerve-related back pain. Back pain can also be linked to bladder and bowel issues, and back pain that accompanies these conditions requires immediate medical care.

Experiencing sudden sharp back pain should not be ignored. Instead, schedule a visit to the doctor because sometimes this can be linked to spinal fracture or osteoporosis. Many people find that chiropractic treatments for their back issues have helped reduce pain and improve their daily lives. Chiropractic treatment may include spinal manipulation, massage, and hot and cold therapy.

Foot Pain

Foot pain occurs for many reasons, and just like back pain, there is no one cause. In many cases, foot pain can occur because of incorrect shoes that irritate the joints or skin of the foot. Abnormalities within the function of the foot can also result in issues.

Checking in with your local podiatrist will help to manage certain foot conditions. Podiatrists treat lower leg problems and foot concerns. They specialize in the bone, nerve, and muscle conditions of feet and help treat injuries or manage symptoms affecting the feet related to other health conditions like diabetes, arthritis, and bunions, to name a few.

Your local orthopedic clinic often works closely with podiatrists because orthopedic professionals specialize in bone or musculoskeletal conditions. Ignoring pain in your feet can lead to more concerns as the condition can worsen. Specialists treat foot issues like bone spurs and plantar fasciitis, to name a few. Some of the most common conditions include the two mentioned as well as corns, Morton neuroma, the building up of non-cancerous tissue in the foot, bunions, and hammertoe.

Persistent foot pain can also be a sign of a fracture or other type of injury that may have occurred. Medical specialists can assist in ruling out any additional issues and getting to work by starting treatment

Tooth or Jaw Pain

Another type of pain to take note of is oral pain. Ignoring tooth or jaw pain is not advised because these can be directly linked to more serious medical conditions. Jaw pain is often related to a heart attack and is one of the symptoms patients who experience a heart attack may also feel. But jaw pain can also be caused due to an injury or fracture, and things like bruxism can increase the condition. Oral surgery is sometimes needed to repair a misaligned jaw or as part of emergency treatment after a severe facial injury.

Seeing a dentist regularly is important to help rule out any issues concerning oral health. Tooth pain can occur because of cavities and gum-related diseases. Still, ignoring tooth pain sometimes leads to more serious health concerns like oral cancer, and infection that may risk spreading to the brain, which is rare, but can be fatal. An abscess of the tooth or on the gum can cause serious health concerns and must be treated as soon as possible.

People with bruxism will often complain about jaw pain depending on how severe their condition is in this regard; the worse the concerns. Often, people with years of bruxism can develop TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction), which is an excruciating condition where the jaw unhooks from its hinge and has to be reset. It can cause immense pain when yawning, eating, and talking. Symptoms of TMJ include clicking and popping of the jaw.

Some treatment to help reduce the level of pain and manage conditions like bruxism is having the dentist design and make a custom-fitting mouth guard or sleep guard. Most of the teeth grinding occurs at nighttime when the patient is asleep. The dentist can also help improve the condition of teeth through extraction, fillings, and other restoration techniques.

Neck Stiffness and Headache

Headaches are often symptoms of many health conditions, and if a stiff neck accompanies a headache, it might be a sign of bacterial meningitis. Bacterial meningitis is the name for the infection of the membrane around the brain. This infection, if not treated, can be fatal. Meningitis can also cause mobility issues and a range of disabilities like speech loss, amputation, memory loss, hearing loss and deafness, and lung and kidney damage. All these symptoms and effects are sometimes increased when meningitis and septicemia are present.

Belly Pain

Pain in the stomach radiating from the belly button and moving to the lower right of the stomach can be unbearable. If this pain is also accompanied by feeling nauseous and vomiting as well as not being able to pass stool, you may be experiencing constipation or an upset stomach. The pain may become so bad it’s hard to move and feels like your insides are twisting or being stabbed. These symptoms might be possible appendicitis inflammation.

When the appendix shows signs of problems or rupture, seeking medical emergency treatment is of utmost importance because if left untreated or ignored, it can cause fatality. Ignoring the pain in the abdomen is not a wise thing, as certain pains can also be symptoms of ovarian cysts or ectopic pregnancy in women.

Irritated Skin

Skin irritation can be due to allergies and skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. After these conditions are diagnosed, the doctor will prescribe medicated topical treatment to assist. Furthermore, patients also take steps to adjust their lifestyle to manage and reduce the chances of flare-ups. Certain foods and elevated stress can increase the chances of flare-ups in the skin.

In rare instances, skin conditions and irritations can be medically serious. On rare occasions, skin conditions like the appearance of a rash can be fatal, like a skin rash caused by anaphylaxis. Other life-threatening skin-related conditions include but are not limited to Pemphigus vulgaris or PV, which is a condition that results in the consistent blistering of the skin. There is also Steven Johnsons Syndrome (SJS) which causes a rash formation, then blistering of the skin, and then the skin dies and sheds and takes a long time to heal, which can lead to infections and, in some instances, fatalities.

Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) is a serious medical condition caused by a bacterial infection that rapidly spreads in the body. The risk of developing TSS is increased when women use high-absorbency tampons. Some of the symptoms include fever and a developing of a skin rash. The renowned model with the golden legs, Lauren Wasser, lost both her legs because of TSS which caused organ failure and nearly killed her. She is known as the girl with the golden legs because her prosthetic legs are gold.

In the above-mentioned skin rash examples, the effects often spread through the whole body, and the moist mucous linings of the body, like the eyes, mouth, and nose, as well as genital areas, are the most targeted. For less serious conditions, there are skin rejuvenation treatments to help improve the skin and manage problems like acne.

Poor Vision

Bad sight or poor vision can be a result of underlying health conditions such as glaucoma and diabetes, and it can even result in the permanent loss of sight in some cases. Eye pain can be due to many things, too, including astigmatism or light sensitivity. Sometimes it’s easy to choose to ignore the pain in the eye, thinking that it is because of eye strain or having an eye infection. Still, it can be linked to medical concerns, See a local optometrist if you’re experiencing ongoing eye pain and vision problems.

Seek immediate medical assistance when you experience a sudden increase in floaters in your vision which could indicate that the retina is coming loose from the eye. Double vision can be a sign of early onset cataracts, profuse swelling, redness, or a combination of both can indicate an infection. Extreme eye pain that comes in suddenly can also be related to the viral infection of shingles.

Difficulty Breathing

Having a hard time breathing should never be taken for granted, and sometimes it is accompanied by pain and other symptoms which may be signs of more serious conditions. Ignoring the pain and not being able to breathe should be dealt with urgent medical emergency attention.

Pulmonary hypertension is a form of high blood pressure that affects the lungs, and it can result in chest pains and shortness of breath. A pulmonary embolism is another life-threatening condition resulting from a blood clot making its way to the lungs.

At times, respiratory conditions like asthma can cause a shortage of breath, and it can be further triggered in places with mold. Getting mold removal services to help eliminate mold and improve your home’s air is vital. Furthermore, when there are signs of elevated breathing, blue fingernails and lips, pale complexion, wheezing, and profuse sweating are all breathing symptoms that should not be ignored. Instead, immediate medical attention is required.

Painful Urination

A urinary tract infection, or UTI, is an infection that often causes a burning sensation when urinating, and sometimes it spurs on a feeling of wanting to urinate to no avail. The infection can be treated with antibiotics. However, if a UTI persists and remains untreated, it can pose a health risk.

A Bad Headache Like Never Before

If you’re prone to getting headaches, you’ll probably ignore the pain and just take some painkillers to dull it. Still, headaches, especially bad ones, should by no means be ignored. At times, ‘thunderclap headaches’ accompanied by neck pain, blurred vision, and vomiting can be symptoms of a ruptured aneurysm. A ruptured aneurysm can be fatal if not treated immediately.

Leg Pain Accompanied by Swelling

Ignoring pain in your leg can be dangerous. It’s easy to write it off as perhaps a sore muscle or cramp, but pain in the leg with swelling and redness can be a sign of something more dangerous. Leg swelling is often a symptom of deep vein thrombosis, and this condition is life-threatening because blood clots are developing in the leg. If a blood clot detaches and travels up the body to the lungs or brain, it can be fatal. Getting diagnosed and treated for this condition is crucial.

Insufficient blood circulation can cause a high risk of developing deep vein thrombosis and other conditions. Sitting in one position for a long time can reduce blood circulation and set the tone for a higher risk of blood clots developing. Blood clots can also cause stroke and heart failure.

Some pains can feel more extreme than others, and it’s usually the extreme ones that shouldn’t be taken for granted. Getting regular medical checkups can help rule out any possible underlying health conditions before they evolve into something more serious. Take care of your health and wellness and try living the best you can, adapting to positive lifestyle changes and wellness routines.