Ouch! How not to be a slave to pain

By Jenna Bergen

updated 12:18 p.m. ET May 24, 2009

Pain lets you know that health trouble has arrived. But sometimes pain won't go away after delivering the message.

Consider the case of Dave Brown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who develops GPS systems for fire departments. He's 27, but when he rolls out of bed he feels like he should be AARP-eligible next June. "My pain is nearly constant," says Brown, who attributes his achy back and neck to 14 years of soccer. "I deal with it, but it makes me less productive."

At night he usually winds up on the couch, too drained to move.

"When pain is no longer useful, it becomes detrimental to the body," says Carol A. Warfield, M.D., a professor of anesthesia at Harvard medical school. "It can affect everything from mood to quality of life."

But with these tips from top medical experts, you can learn to control pain, not be a slave to it.

A scorched mouth (pizza burn)
Understand it: "The tissue in the roof of the mouth is very thin, so it's sensitive and prone to a painful burn when hot food meets your palate," says Michael W. Smith, M.D., chief medical editor for WebMD.

Stop it: Pop an ice cube for damage control; you're numbing the area and reducing swelling. Anbesol or another oral-use topical anesthetic can help, too. Still hurts? After eating, rinse with a solution of 1/8 teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of warm water. The salt will help disinfect your mouth. Just don't swallow.

Prevent it: Be careful with foods coming out of the microwave. "While the outside may feel just warm, the inside may be scorching hot," says Dr. Smith. Let any nuked meal rest for at least a few minutes before digging in.

Plantar fasciitis
Understand it: The band of tissue that runs along the arch of your foot is inflamed from hitting the treadmill or pavement.

Stop it: Ease up on the cardio until the stabbing pain's edge dulls. If it flares back up, take ibuprofen (e.g., Advil) and ice your heel for 15 to 20 minutes. Loosening up the area might also help.

"Men with this problem often have tight calf muscles and Achilles tendons," says Matthew Matava, M.D., an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Washington University.

Try rolling each foot over a tennis ball for 10 to 15 minutes, several times a day. Still hurts? Use a night splint to keep your foot, calf, and plantar fascia stretched overnight, reducing the pain, says Nicholas A. DiNubile, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon and the author of "FrameWork: Your 7-Step Program for Healthy Muscles, Bones, and Joints."

Prevent it: Don't set the treadmill on an incline. "Running uphill strains the plantar fascia," says Dr. Matava, who recommends finding running shoes with strong arch supports that fit your foot's structure to relieve pressure. (We like the Asics Gel-Evolution 4.)

Heartburn
Understand it: Stomach acid spills into your esophagus, burning like a forest fire.

Stop it: Reach for an over-the-counter acid blocker such as Pepcid AC or Zantac 75, or chew sugarless gum. A study in the Journal of Dental Research found that chewing gum for 30 minutes after a high-fat meal lessens acid reflux by generating enough saliva to make you swallow more and push acid back down.

Still hurts? You might have gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. See a doctor; GERD can lead to esophageal cancer.

Prevent it: Make stomach acid work against gravity at night by placing 2-inch blocks under the legs at the head of your bed, says Ted Epperly, M.D., president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Also, if you're a smoker, here's one more reason to quit. "Nicotine relaxes the LES valve, the muscle at the end of the esophagus, which usually opens only to allow food to pass into the stomach," says Dr. Smith. "Once it's loosened, acid can shoot back into the esophagus."

Hemorrhoids
Understand them: The veins in or around your anus are swollen and irritated.

Stop them: Apply a hemorrhoid-shrinking nonprescription ointment (such as Preparation H) in the morning, at night, and after each bowel movement. And soak the offending area in a tub filled with several inches of warm water for 15 to 20 minutes, three to four times a day. This can help decrease the painful swelling, Dr. Smith says.

Still hurts? If the pain persists after 2 weeks, you may require surgery.

Prevent them: Consume at least 25 grams of fiber and slug back no fewer than eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.

Carpal tunnel syndrome
Understand it: A nerve running from your forearm to your wrist is squeezed or inflamed within the narrow passageway of ligament and bones at the base of the hand.

Stop it: Hit the mat. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that a twice-weekly yoga regimen practiced for 8 weeks eased symptoms and improved grip strength. You can also wear a wrist splint at night or while typing or driving. "It keeps your wrist neutral, which prevents further compression and irritation of the nerve," says Tanya J. Lehky, M.D., director of the Clinical EMG Lab at the NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Still hurts? Ask your doctor for a referral to a hand surgeon, who can either inject corticosteroids into the carpal tunnel to reduce swelling and inflammation, or perform surgery to correct the problem.

Prevent it: "Set your keyboard at a height that allows your hand to work in a straight or neutral position," says Dr. Lehky. "Bending your wrist too far forward or backward pressures the nerve."

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