Don’t take aches and pains lightly. They can cost you your life.
How do you know when it’s time to pay particular attention to some of the body pains that you are experiencing? While it is perfectly normal to feel some minor aches and pains from time to time, there are some types of pain that are far more serious than what they appear to be.
You may not know it but some of the everyday aches and pains that you are experiencing may actually be telling you that there is something seriously wrong with your body. What are these warning signs and what could be causing them? Here are some of them.
Pain in the Lower Back
A lot of people do not pay particular attention to lower back pain simply because most of us are already used to it. However, this shouldn’t be the case. You should never ignore lower back pain since it is the leading cause of job-related disability. For all you know, it can also indicate kidney trouble so you better consult your doctor about it.
Severe Abdominal Pain
There are a lot of things that can cause severe abdominal pain. Pain in the upper right abdomen can indicate a gall bladder problem while pain in the upper abdomen that is accompanied by pain in the upper back may indicate pancreatitis (the inflammation of the pancreas). While mild cases of pancreatitis may go away on its own, leaving severe cases untreated can lead to some serious medical conditions such as severe breathing problems, malnutrition, diabetes, kidney failure and pancreatic cancer.
In addition, abdominal pain may also be an indication of problems with the kidney, uterus, lungs and/or liver while pain in the lower abdomen may be a symptom of an inflamed appendix.
Unexplained Aches and Pains All Over Your Body
If you usually experience a constant, dull ache all over your body (on both sides of your body as well as above and below the waist), especially when it is accompanied by fatigue, sleep, mood and memory issues, then you may most likely have a condition known as fibromyalgia. While most fibromyalgia patients are women, this condition is also known to affect men and children.
It is important that you consult your doctor at the first sign of the condition since it can severely affect your quality of life. According to a study published in the December 2010 issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, working women who are hospitalized due to this condition are about 10 times less likely to return to work.
Jaw Pain
Don’t take jaw pain lightly since it can be a symptom of an oncoming heart attack. You may not know it but pain in the lower left side of your jaw can already be a sign that your heart is under stress and that you are at a risk of sustaining a heart attack or have just gone through one without even knowing it. So, if you experience this kind of pain, the best thing that you can do is to stop what you are doing and seek medical assistance. Being vigilant under such circumstances can just save your life.
So, if you don’t have any idea on what’s causing your pain or if the pain comes suddenly, lasts longer than usual or different from anything you have ever experienced, don’t even think twice. Consult your doctor about it. It can just help save your life.
