Includes bibliographical references (p. 239-240) and index.

Machine generated contents note: 1 UNCOVERING THE MYSTERIES OF CHRONIC -- PHYSICAL PAIN -- The Chronic Undertreatment of Chronic Pain 3 -- Pathways of Pain: How Your Body Gets the Message 4 -- How Your Body Modulates Pain Naturally 5 -- How We Think About and Feel Pain 9 -- Variations in the Way We Perceive Pain 10 -- When the System Runs Amok: Sensitization 11 -- Referred Pain: Why the Cause Is Not Always Near the Effect 13 -- Test-Negative Pain: When the Cause Can't Be Seen 14 -- Key Points in Getting Your Pain Correctly Diagnosed 16 -- 2 CONTROLLING PAIN WITHOUT MEDICATION -- OR SURGERY -- Lifestyle Changes 18 -- Nonmedical Pain Management 25 -- Alternative and Complementary Medicine 33 -- Key Points About Nonmedical Pain Management 38 -- 3 MEDICATION IN THE TREATMENT OF PAIN -- The Challenge of Finding the Drug That Works 41 -- Treating Pain with Narcotics 50 -- Methods of Delivery 58 -- Medication and Aging 61 -- Key Points About Medication for Pain 63 -- 4 HEADACHES FROM HELL AND OTHER PAINS -- ABOVE THE NECK -- Migraines: Stop Pounding on My Head 65 -- Cluster Headaches: Get That Ice Pick out of My Eye! 69 -- Tension Headaches: Please Loosen the Headband! 71 -- Rebound Headaches: The Cure Is Killing Me 71 -- Post-traumatic Headaches 72 -- When to See a Headache Specialist 73 -- Atypical Facial Pain 75 -- Jaws: Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ) 76 -- Head Trauma 78 -- Key Points About Head Pain 84 -- 5 TREATING PAINFUL MUSCLES, BONES, AND JOINTS -- Myofascial Pain 85 -- Spasms and Cramps 88 -- When Painful Muscles Signal a Deeper Problem 89 -- The Enigma of Fibromyalgia 90 -- Osteoarthritis: Wear and Tear on the Joints 92 -- Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Body at War with Itself 94 -- Osteoporosis: The Pain of Disintegrating Bones 95 -- Key Points About Musculoskeletal Pain 100 -- 6 YOUR ACHING BACK: PAIN FROM HEAD TO TOE -- How Wear and Tear Creates Pain 104 -- Low-Back Pain 109 -- The Diagnostic Challenge of Back Pain 114 -- Evaluating Your Treatment Options 115 -- Treating Back Pain with Surgery 124 -- Key Points About Back Pain 128 -- 7 THE NERVE OF THAT PAIN: NEUROPATHIC PAIN -- Painful Twitch: Trigeminal Neuralgia 131 -- A Tangled Mass of Nerves: Neuromas 135 -- Diabetic Neuropathy 137 -- The Neuropathic Pain Syndromes of AIDS/HIV 139 -- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS): -- The Black Hole of Neuropathic Pain 141 -- Pain Following Shingles: Postherpetic Neuralgia 146 -- The Spider's Painful Web: Arachnoiditis 149 -- Pain from Damaged Nerve Roots 150 -- Stroke or Spinal-Cord-Injury Pain 151 -- Phantom-Limb Pain 152 -- Key Points About Neuropathic Pain 157 -- 8 PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF PAINFUL -- SPORTS INJURIES -- Sprains and Strains 159 -- Overuse Injuries 161 -- Stress Fractures 163 -- Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injuries 164 -- Spinal Injuries 166 -- Injuries to Nerves 167 -- Headaches 169 -- Basic Prevention and Treatment 170 -- Key Points About Painful Sports Injuries 172 -- 9 GYNECOLOGIC PAIN -- Recurrent Pelvic Pain 175 -- Chronic Pelvic Pain 176 -- Key Points About Gynecologic Pain 183 -- 10 REDUCING THE PAIN OF CANCER -- Pain Following Surgery 187 -- Radiation Therapy 189 -- Chemotherapy 191 -- Treatment with Corticosteroids 192 -- Treatment with Narcotics and Other Drugs 193 -- How Cancer Affects the Body's Response -- to Pain Medication 198 -- Lesioning Nerves to Relieve Pain 198 -- The Cancer and Pain-Management Team 201 -- Key Points About Cancer Pain 203 -- 11 How TO GET AND PAY FOR THE BEST -- TREATMENT FOR PAIN -- Getting the Most from Your Health-Insurance Plan 209 -- Finding the Best Doctor 210 -- Key Points About Finding the Best Care 218.