Costochondritis is the inflammation of the cartilage that connects your ribs to your breast bone (the sternum). Cartilage is a connective tissue that covers the joints and acts as a shock absorber. Costochondritis is a type of chest wall pain that has no clear cause. It usually goes away by itself after a few weeks, with simple pain relief and rest but unfortunately it can also come back again in the future. 

Cluster headaches (CH) are terrible attacks of pain – sometimes called the worst pain you can imagine - that affect one side of the head, usually around the eye. The cause for them is not completely clear but they have a tendency to run in families and occur more commonly in people that smoke. They can also be triggered by things such as alcohol and even strong smells.  They aren’t very common but can affect anyone and usually occur in ‘clusters’. There are two types - episodic and chronic.  In episodic CH the attacks occur on a daily basis over a period of weeks or months and then stop as suddenly as they started, disappearing for weeks, months or even years before returning at some point.  In chronic CH, the attacks occur regularly with a pain-free remission of less than four weeks in any twelve-month period.  In most episodic sufferers the headaches start at the same time of year and occur at the same time during the day or night, with each attack usually lasting between 15 minutes and 3 hours (or more), and can occur up to 6 or 8 times a day.  It’s also common for sufferers to experience an attack within 30-90 minutes of falling asleep.

Disc herniation, also known as a slipped or ruptured disc, occurs when the soft cushion-like discs between the vertebrae in the spine get damaged or shift out of place. Symptoms are characterised by a sudden onset of pain (usually back pain or neck pain. Cervical disc herniation describes a disc prolapse in one of the intervertebral discs in the neck. This can cause pain in the neck along with numbness, tingling or weakness in the arms. Cervical disc herniation can also cause severe symptoms of weakness of the legs and even affect the ability to walk properly. In this guide, we explore cervical disc herniation. Understand what cervical disc herniation is, its symptoms, treatment options, causes, and prevention strategies.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by the compression of one of the nerves in your hand (the median nerve) that helps you move your thumb. It also gives a particular area of skin the sensation to touch, pain and temperature - this is the skin over the thumb and parts of the first two fingers. The median nerve runs through something called the carpal tunnel as it navigates through your wrist into your hand. The carpal tunnel, which is a gap formed from the bones in your wrist and a big ligament, can swell up and squash the nerve. This usually causes pins and needles, numbness and pain in your thumb, index finger and middle finger, and sufferers typically say symptoms are worse at night. Sometimes, if you’ve suffered from this for a long time, the muscle at the bottom of the thumb loses power as the muscle wastes away. There is no one specific cause of carpal tunnel syndrome but it is more common in women, the elderly and during pregnancy or menopause. Swelling of the carpal tunnel can occur from injury to your hand or wrist, joint conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, and from diabetes or obesity. You may be at higher risk if your job or hobby involves a lot of manual work, such as having to bend the wrist or grip things for a long time, or using work tools that vibrate such as a pneumatic drill. It is thought to be more common in pregnancy and menopause as there is often increased water retention so the tissues in the wrists and hands may be more swollen, causing the carpal tunnel to narrow and put pressure on the nerve.

A Baker's cyst is a fluid-filled swelling that develops at the back of the knee. These often cause no problems at all but the larger the cyst, the more likely it is that you may have symptoms from it. The cyst can become inflamed, causing pain in the knee and calf and you might find your knee locks or clicks. For some people, it may cause no symptoms but you’ll typically get a sharp pain if the cyst bursts, which happens in about 1 in 20 cases. Fluid can then leak into the calf, causing swelling and redness. Baker's cyst is more likely to develop in women than men, and people over the age of 35, although it can affect anyone including children in the 4-7 year old age group.

Arthritis is a term used to describe pain and inflammation affecting a joint. Any joint in the body can be affected by arthritis but the most commonly affected joints are those of the fingers and thumb, wrist, hip, knee, shoulder, lower back and neck. There are two main types of arthritis; osteoarthritis and inflammatory (rheumatoid) arthritis. What is osteoarthritis? Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and is associated with increasing age – often from the mid-40s onwards -though it is a distinct entity from the changes associated with ageing. It’s more common in women, and if you have a family history of the condition. Osteoarthritis is a disease affecting the cartilage layer that covers the ends of bones at a joint and normally functions to provide a smooth surface that allows friction-free joint movement. In osteoarthritis, there is a breakdown of the smooth cartilage layer which then tries to heal itself. There is gradual thinning of the cartilage layer with complete loss eventually. Osteoarthritis is characterised by pain and stiffness that is usually worse with movement and tends to be worst at the end of the day or after intense activity. The joints most commonly affected by osteoarthritis are the hands, knees, hips and spine.

The Achilles tendon is the large tendon just above your heel that you can feel like a cord when you move your foot up and down. It’s the largest and strongest tendon in the body. If the tendon tears, or snaps then this is called an Achilles tendon rupture. A rupture can be partial or total, depending on whether any of the tendon is still attached.

The Achilles tendon is the large tendon just above your heel that you can feel like a cord when you move your foot up and down. It’s the largest and strongest tendon in the body, and it can sometimes become inflamed, causing a painful condition called Achilles tendinopathy. It isn’t clear why this inflammation occurs but one theory is that tiny tears happen in the tendon from overuse, and in trying to repair this pain and swelling develops, especially where the tendon attaches to the heel bone. Early on in the development of Achilles tendinopathy the pain is often worst in the morning and improves through the day but as it progresses it can be there all the time and interfere with activities including walking. Pain may restrict you completely from exercising, but if you do manage to, you may find that pain is worst when you start, but gradually eases as you pursue your workout. Achilles tendinopathy is more common over the age of 30 and in those who suddenly increase their exercise levels. Other contributors include being very overweight (obese) or a lack of strength or flexibility in your leg muscles. Occasionally, the tendon may actually rupture. If you are unsure if you have ruptured your Achilles, have a read through our article.

Disc herniation describes the sudden onset of pain as a result of a problem with an intervertebral disc in the spine. Disc herniation is characterised by the sudden onset of pain that can be severe. Disc herniation can cause pain felt in the back or neck, numbness, tingling or weakness felt in arms or legs, muscle spasm and muscle weakness.

Fibromyalgia is a long-standing condition that causes pain all over the body. It can be a lifelong condition, although there are treatments that help to relieve pain and make living with the symptoms much easier. The name fibromyalgia comes from the words fibrous tissue (fibro), muscles (my) and pain (algia). It’s a syndrome (FMS), which means it can cause a collection of symptoms. Alongside pain, these include tiredness, headaches, bowel symptoms (bloating), constipation, diarrhoea, difficulty concentrating and remembering, sleep disturbance (including restless leg syndrome), muscle stiffness and increased sensitivity to pain. However, fibromyalgia is not a type of arthritis and so joints are not usually affected but many areas of the body can feel tender when pressed. About 1 in 25 people develop fibromyalgia at some time, and it’s much more common in women than in men. It typically begins between the ages of 25 and 55, and has often been present for a long time before it’s diagnosed. Symptoms may wax and wane, so the aims of treatment are to keep most symptoms at bay, and reduce the severity of symptoms if you get a flare-up. Fibromyalgia can also go hand-in-hand with other conditions, including depression and inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS).

Frozen shoulder is a condition characterised by pain and loss of movement of the shoulder. Otherwise known as adhesive capsulitis, frozen shoulder is a disorder affecting the lining of the shoulder joint which becomes inflamed and tightens.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and is sometimes called ‘wear and tear’ arthritis. It is associated with increasing age, though it is a distinct entity from the changes associated with ageing, and affects almost 9 million people in the UK. Osteoarthritis is a disease affecting the cartilage layer that covers the ends of bones at a joint and normally functions to provide a smooth surface that allows friction-free joint movement. Any joint can suffer from osteoarthritis but some of the most common include: hips back knees shoulders fingers It is a degenerative joint disease characterised by the gradual breakdown of cartilage in the joints, leading to pain, stiffness, and impaired mobility. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the causes, symptoms, risk factors, diagnosis, and management of osteoarthritis, as well as the latest advancements in treatment options.