Adapted from Pain Relief Without Drugs or Surgery, Medical Editor: Melissa L. Colbert, MD, Instructor in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School; Interim Medical Director, Spaulding Rehabilitation Outpatient Center.
Most pain can be managed without a trip to the doctor. A bruised knee, a pulled muscle — these can be treated at home with some combination of rest, ice, and heat. But some types of pain require immediate attention from trained medical personnel.
- Chest pain. Call 911 immediately. You may be having a heart attack or another serious medical event such as a pulmonary embolism (a blockage of an artery in the lung). Typical heart attack symptoms include heavy pressure or tightness in the chest; crushing pain that goes to the neck, the jaw, the left arm, or the back; and pain accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness, or nausea.
- Pelvic pain. Severe new pelvic pain can be a sign of appendicitis or, in women, a ruptured ovarian cyst or an early ectopic pregnancy.
- Sudden severe headache. Get immediate care if you get a headache that is the worst you’ve ever experienced, or if the pain is accompanied by fever, vomiting, stiffness, seizures, a rash, visual disturbances, trouble speaking, or weakness. You could be having a stroke or have an infection of the brain such as meningitis. Also seek medical care after any head injury, which can cause a concussion or life-threatening swelling of the brain.
- Severe or persistent abdominal pain. If abdominal pain is severe, persists, or is accompanied by symptoms such as a fever, abdominal tenderness, or blood in the stool, you may have a serious medical problem (for example, appendicitis, diverticulitis, or pancreatitis) that requires immediate medical care.
- Eye pain. See an eye doctor for evaluation if you get hit directly in the eye, you have stabbing pain in the eye, your eye turns red along with pain, your vision is impaired, or you see sudden flashes of light. These symptoms can indicate a serious eye problem such as an infection, glaucoma, a detached retina, or inflammation inside the eye (iritis or uveitis).
