Persistent aches and pains plague nearly one-fifth of adults in the U.S., according to the 2010 National Health Interview Survey, but Ya-Ling Liou, a chiropractor and author of Every Body’s Guide to Everyday Pain, refuses to buy the idea that pain is a part of aging. She has too many elderly patients who live pain-free.

“Everyday aches and pains can be caused by minor arthritis, joint pain and stiffness, muscle aches, cramps and inflammation,” says Rebecca Lee, a New York City nurse and founder of the natural health resource www.Remediesforme.com in an article on nextavenue.org. 

Mr. Divabetic plays his new health game, ‘Game of Groans: Everyday Aches & Pains’ at ‘Barbershop Talk: A Man to Man Discussion about Men’s Health Issues Breakfast‘ on Saturday, June 1, 2019, 10 AM – 12 PM at Jefferson Alumni Hall, 10202 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA. Try your luck! (answer listed at bottom of post).

Once certain underlying causes are ruled out with tests like bloodwork, MRI and X-rays, everyday aches and pains can be pinpointed back to other causes, such as infection, the flu, a cold, exercise, drug side effects, stress, depression or anxiety.

A lot of people reject the idea that stress can play a role in pain or make it worse. But Liou explains that because we don’t physically react the way animals do (fight or flight) in response to most stress, we don’t have an outlet for it. That energy has to go someplace in the body, finding its way to your GI tract or your lower back, for instance.

“As soon as you feel pain, you should ask yourself what were you doing?” says Liou. Plus, the way pain feels (burning, stabbing, sharp) may help you trace it back to its trigger. Because everyone’s brain determines pain differently, the way pain feels can be misleading, but typically, a burning sensation can spell nerve pain. Dull or achy discomfort can mean muscle pain.

What’s more, if you can change pain — make it better or worse, by moving, resting, elevation or applying ice — you can control the pain, and Liou says there’s hope to cure it.

When you stay on top of pain, ask the right questions and seek help when needed, you can prevent most aches and pains from settling in long-term.

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ANSWER:  (B). Lower back pain. According to research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, no less than 84 percent of adults in the U.S. will experience chronic back pain at some point in their life. Often occurring in the lower back, the pain may be caused by an injury or develop progressively due to arthritis, osteoporosis, or normal wear-and-tear.

Arthritis. Joint pain is also one of the leading types of chronic pain among American adults, typically caused by injury, infection, or advancing age. According to a report from the U.S. Bone and Joint Initiative, arthritis is the most common cause, affecting over 51 million Americans (or roughly one of every two adults).