A tension headache is the most common type and feels like a tight band has been wrapped around your forehead, causing a constant ache to the sides of the head. Your neck or shoulders might feel tight and tender, and a dull ache or pressure can build up behind the eyes. It's commonly referred to as a stress headache for good reason – it comes at the busiest or most stressful times. While frustrating, for most people, it's mild enough for them to be able to continue with everyday activities. In medical terms, it's known as a primary headache which – put simply – means that there is no underlying medical condition causing it. It may last between 30 minutes and a few hours. More rarely, some people get a chronic tension-type headache that can last for much longer, or come and go for days within a flare-up period. Most describe tension headaches as mild and short-lived. Many feel better after a sleep or a warm bath, and tension headaches usually respond well to simple painkillers. Let's talk you through how to shake off a tension headache and how to avoid triggers in the future.

What is Postherpetic Neuralgia? Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is long-lasting pain that happens after a shingles rash goes away. Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you recover from chickenpox, the virus stays in your body but is not active. Years later, the virus can wake up and cause shingles. When you have shingles, you get a painful rash. This rash usually heals in a few weeks. But sometimes, the pain doesn't go away after the rash heals. This ongoing pain is called postherpetic neuralgia. PHN happens when the shingles virus damages your nerves. The damaged nerves send pain signals to your brain even when there is no rash anymore. This can cause burning, stabbing, or throbbing pain that lasts for months or even years. Who Gets Postherpetic Neuralgia? Some people are more likely to get PHN after having shingles: People over 50 years old People who had severe shingles with a bad rash People who didn't get treatment for shingles right away People with health problems that weaken the immune system Women (slightly more than men)

Disk herniation, also known as a slipped or ruptured disk, occurs when the soft cushion-like disks between the vertebrae in the spine get damaged or shift out of place. Symptoms are characterized by a sudden onset of pain (usually back pain or neck pain. Cervical disk herniation describes a disk prolapse in one of the intervertebral disks in the neck. This can cause pain in the neck along with numbness, tingling or weakness in the arms. Cervical disk 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 disk herniation to help you understand what it is, causes, its symptoms, treatment options, and prevention strategies.

What is Shingles? Shingles is a painful skin rash caused by a virus. This virus is the same one that causes chickenpox. After you recover from chickenpox, the virus stays in your body but remains inactive. Years later, the virus can wake up and cause shingles. The shingles rash usually appears as a stripe of blisters on one side of your body. Before the rash shows up, you might feel pain, itching, or tingling in that area. The rash typically forms blisters that crust over within 7-10 days and usually heal within 2-4 weeks. Shingles can affect anyone who has had chickenpox, but it's more common in older adults and people with weak immune systems. Some people may experience long-lasting nerve pain called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) after the rash heals. What Causes Shingles? Shingles happens when the chickenpox virus (called varicella-zoster virus) that's been hiding in your nerve cells wakes up. Doctors aren't completely sure why the virus wakes up in some people, but several things can increase the risk: Getting older (your immune system naturally weakens with age) Having diseases that weaken your immune system, like HIV/AIDS or cancer Taking medications that suppress your immune system Being under a lot of stress Having an injury in the area where the rash appears You can only get shingles if you've had chickenpox before. If you've never had chickenpox, you can't get shingles. However, if you're around someone with shingles, you could catch chickenpox if you've never had it. Can You Get Shingles More Than Once? Yes, you can get shingles more than once, although it doesn't happen very often. Most people who have had shingles won't get it again. About 1-6 out of 100 people might have shingles a second or third time in their life. The risk of getting shingles again is higher for people with: Weak immune systems Other health problems A severe first case of shingles Lasting nerve pain after their first bout of shingles What Makes Shingles Come Back? Several things can make shingles more likely to come back: Age As you get older, your immune system gets weaker, making it harder for your body to keep the virus inactive. Weak Immune System People with conditions like HIV/AIDS, cancer, or those taking medicines that weaken the immune system (like steroids or chemotherapy) have a higher risk. Genetics Some people might be born with genes that make them more likely to get shingles multiple times. Lifestyle Factors High stress, poor diet, and lack of sleep can weaken your immune system and may increase your risk. Environmental Triggers Things like too much sunlight or injury to an area of nerves might trigger the virus to wake up again.

The term ‘tennis elbow’ is more correctly known as lateral epicondylitis and is a painful condition affecting the outside part of the elbow. The lateral epicondyle is the bony prominence at the outer part of the base of the humerus or upper arm bone. A similar condition affects the medial epicondyle (the bony prominence at the inner part of the elbow) and is usually called 'golfer's elbow'. What causes tennis elbow? Tennis elbow occurs because of our anatomy. The muscles that straighten out our wrist and fingers anchor onto a small bone at the outer side of the elbow. Repetitive movement under tension of these muscles can irritate the sheath these muscles are contained within and also cause tiny tears of the muscle, too. The subsequent irritation and inflammation then causes all the symptoms and these symptoms are probably related to the poor healing process rather than to any original injury. Who gets tennis and golfer's elbow? Any sport, hobby or work activity in which repetitive arm movement, a type of RSI and muscle overstraining are involved can cause it, with the highest risk involving using a bent elbow while holding a racquet or tool. It also affects people more frequently over the age of 35 and both men and women are affected equally. It is uncommon in people under 30, probably because the healing ability of the tissues is better below that age. How do I know if I have tennis elbow? It usually starts with discomfort on the outer part of the elbow that gradually increases with movement. Pressing on this part is painful as is bending the wrist upwards against pressure. The wrist may feel weak so picking up everyday objects such as books or pans may become difficult. Eventually, the pain travels all along the upper arm and outer part of the forearm and it may get so painful that the arm is held close to the body to prevent it hurting. There is usually tenderness over the lateral epicondyle in tennis elbow, and over the medial epicondyle in golfer's elbow.

Tendonitis is a common painful condition that can affect tendons around a joint. In most cases, tendonitis is a self-limiting condition and will improve after a period of activity restriction. Tendonitis was previously believed to be a condition of inflammation within a tendon. However, it is now understood that tendonitis does not involve inflammation, but instead represents multiple micro-tears accumulating, with the tendon then generating a healing response. Most cases of tendonitis are caused by a sudden change or increase in your activity levels.

Subacromial impingement (also known as shoulder impingement syndrome) is a condition characterized by the painful movement of the shoulder. Pain often occurs when moving the shoulder and arm in specific directions and can be associated with weakness. Subacromial impingement is one of the most common causes of shoulder pain. It most commonly affects people aged 30-70, and around one in five people will experience symptoms of subacromial impingement at some time in their lives. Subacromial impingement tends to cause pain that can be felt at the top of the shoulder and can spread down the arm towards the elbow, pain worse when lifting your arm to the side and above your head, and weakness when lifting your arm to the side.

Repetitive strain injury (also known as RSI) is very common and is when repetitive movement causes pain due to overuse or strain of muscles, ligaments, or tendons. The symptoms can range from pain and aching to numbness or tingling, and they tend to start and are made worse by doing repetitive movements. It can occur in the areas around different joints or muscles in the body, with the most common areas being the hands, wrists, forearms, shoulders, and neck. Repetitive movements, stress, vibrating work tools, and cold weather can also increase your risk of developing RSI. Common reasons for developing RSI are doing repetitive tasks at work, gaming or using a mouse, playing sports, using a wheelchair, and being a musician. However, not everyone in these categories develops RSI.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and is associated with increasing age, though it is distinct from the changes associated with aging. 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 characterized 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.

A migraine is a severe throbbing headache that comes on suddenly and can last a few hours to days. It is a very common health condition that has yet to be entirely understood. It is described as a throbbing pain that usually affects one side of the head around the temples. The headaches are usually accompanied by other symptoms. This can vary for each person but include things like vomiting, feeling sick, or having a sensitivity to light or sound, eased by lying down in a dark, quiet room. Migraines can be associated with auras - these are warning signals that the migraine is about to occur. Examples of different auras include flashing lights, numbness, tingling, dizziness, or muscle weakness. It is also possible to have a silent migraine, where there is no headache, but instead just the auras and other migraine symptoms.

A hernia is a weakness or a defect in the muscle or tissue wall, causing internal body parts to push outwards, like part of an organ or soft tissue. It's common in your abdomen or groin but can develop in other areas, also.

Golfer's elbow is also known as medial epicondylitis, a type of tendonitis where the tendons attached to the elbow can become painful and inflamed. Golfer’s elbow affects the inside of the elbow and doesn't just affect golfers, but anyone that repeatedly uses their wrists and fingers in a clenched or closed fist manner. Tennis elbow is a similar condition but affects the outside of the elbow. Golfer's elbow is caused by repetitive use of the forearm muscles, through twisting and gripping activities that cause you to bend and open your wrist and hand repetitively. It affects both men and women equally and is most common between the ages of 40 and 60.