Most people will suffer at least one painful illness or condition in their lives.
For the majority of people this will be fleeting, but there are some conditions that can cause chronic pain and last a lifetime.
The NHS has listed what it believes to be the 20 top most painful conditions a person can suffer from. While there are several things on the list that you’d expect to see, such as heart attacks, broken bones or a slipped disc, some are much lesser known.
The top most painful condition is one that many people will have never heard of.
Cluster headaches
These excruciating headaches are focused on one side of the head, often felt behind the eye. These can affect anyone but are more common in men between 30 and 40 years old.
The pain is described as a sharp, burning or piercing sensation on one side of the head – it’s often felt around the eye, temple and sometimes face, and tends to affect the same side for each attack. They can strike between one and eight times a day for periods lasting weeks or months and can severely impact the sufferer’s quality of life.
Shingles
This painful condition is slightly more well known and is common in older people. It is an infection that causes tingling, pain and headaches.
Shingles is caused by the chickenpox virus, which means people who haven’t had the virus before could catch it from you, though shingles itself cannot be spread to others. It can take up to four weeks for the rash to heal and your skin can be painful for weeks after the rash has gone, but it usually gets better over time.
Frozen shoulder
When the tissue around your shoulder joint becomes inflamed; the tissue then gets tighter and shrinks, which causes pain.
It can last for months or even years and although the cause of this condition is unknown, theories are it can be brought on by restricted movement as the result of injury or surgery.
Frozen shoulder can be treated with shoulder exercises and painkillers, and while the pain and stiffness usually go away eventually, it can take at least 18 months to three years to get better.
Broken bones
Anyone who has broken a bone knows that it can be incredibly painful. They can happen as the result of a trip, impact or being hit by something and the most common signs you have broken a bone are pain, swelling and discolouration.
If you suspect you have broken a bone its crucial to seek medical attention immediately to ensure the bone can be reset and heal properly. Improper healing can lead to further issues down the line.
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
This rare and poorly understood condition is thought to be the result of an injury. CRPS presents as severe and persistent pain where the skin of the affected body part can become so sensitive that a slight touch, bump or even a change in temperature can cause intense pain. It can last for several years in especially bad cases.
Heart attack
Most people have heard of a heart attack, also known as a myocardial infarction. This serious medical emergency is caused by a blockage of the blood supply to the heart, usually a clot.
Commonly known symptoms of a heart attack include severe chest pain accompanied by a feeling of squeezing or pressure and pain in the left arm. However, women frequently experience nausea and dizziness when having a heart attack.
You must call 999 immediately if you think you or someone else might be having a heart attack. A lack of blood to the heart may seriously damage the heart muscle and can be life threatening – the faster you act, the better their chances.
Slipped disk
This is when a disc of soft tissue in between the bones of your spine slips out and presses against the nerves. It can be extremely painful but will improve with painkillers and gentle careful exercise. It can be caused by improperly lifting heavy objects, exercising, being overweight or simply ageing.
Sickle cell disease
Sickle cell disease is the name for a group of inherited health conditions that affect the red blood cells, and is a serious and lifelong health condition. The most serious type is called sickle cell anaemia.
It is most common in people with African or Caribbean backgrounds and its main symptoms are what’s known as sickle cell crises, which can be very painful, very severe and last for days or weeks.
Sickle cell usually requires lifelong treatment by a team of healthcare professionals.
Arthritis
In the UK, millions of people have arthritis or other, similar conditions that affect the joints, with the two most common types of arthritis being osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
It causes inflammation in the joints which can make moving difficult and painful.
While commonly thought of as a condition that only affects the elderly, young people can also suffer from arthritis and it can be debilitating.
Migraine
Much more than just a headache, migraines can cause nausea, pain in your neck, vision loss and mood changes. Some people will receive a ‘warning sign’ before the migraine hits such as vision changes, dizziness or pins and needles.
Migraines usually last between two hours and three days, with some symptoms starting up to two days before the head pain starts and finishing after the headache stops, and some people can have them several times a week.
Sciatica
This is where the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back to your feet, is irritated or compressed. It usually gets better in four to six weeks, but can last longer.
Sciatica can make your bottom, the back or your leg, or your foot and toes feel painful, tingling, numb or weak, and symptoms may be worse when moving, sneezing or coughing. A GP may suggest exercise and stretches and prescribe painkillers to help relieve your pain and speed up recovery.
Kidney stones
This common condition affects more than one in 10 people and is common among those in their 30s to 60s. They are formed by waste products building up in the blood and forming crystals which need to be either passed through urine or surgically removed.
Larger kidney stones can cause several symptoms including severe pain in your abdomen that comes and goes, feeling sick or vomiting.
Appendicitis
Common in younger people, appendicitis is when the appendix becomes inflamed and swollen, causing acute stomach pain. It typically starts with a pain in the middle of your tummy that may come and go, and within hours the pain travels to the lower right-hand side and becomes constant and severe.
If you have it, it’s likely your appendix will need to be removed as soon as possible. Removal of the appendix, known as an appendicectomy or appendectomy, is one of the most common operations in the UK and is usually carried out as keyhole surgery.
Trigeminal neuralgia
This rare condition is characterised by sudden onset of severe, stinging pain in the sufferer’s face. It’s been described as being similar to an electric shock in the jaw teeth or gums and can last from a split second to minutes.
People with trigeminal neuralgia may experience attacks of pain regularly for days, weeks or months at a time. In severe cases attacks may happen hundreds of times a day, and living with the condition can be very difficult, having a significant impact on a person’s quality of life.
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a very painful condition that occurs in people with uteruses. It causes the lining of the womb to grow in other parts of the body like the ovaries and fallopian tubes.
The disease can affect people of all ages and is a long-term condition that can severely impact your quality of life. It causes severe pain, heavy bleeding and bloating and can affect fertility.
Gout
Gout is a type of arthritis that causes sudden, severe joint pain and hot, swollen skin, usually in your big toe. An attack of gout usually lasts five to seven days, and can affect other joints in your feet, hands, wrists, elbows or knees.
Acute pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is a condition where the pancreas becomes inflamed over a short period of time. While most people with the condition start to feel better within about a week and have no further problems, some can go on to develop serious complications.
Symptoms of acute pancreatitis include severe and sudden pain in the centre of your tummy, feeling or being sick, and a high temperature. The condition is most often linked to gallstones or drinking too much alcohol, but the exact cause is not known – you should always see a GP or call 111 immediately if you suddenly develop severe abdominal pain.
Stomach ulcer
These are painful ulcers that grow in the lining of the stomach causing a gnawing and persistent pain in the centre of the abdomen. Some people may experience other symptoms, such as indigestion, heartburn and acid reflux and feeling sick.
Stomach ulcers happen when there’s damage to the layer that protects the stomach lining from the acids in your stomach, and is usually a result of an infection or taking anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen or aspirin.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia, also called fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), is a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body. Its cause is unknown but it is thought to be related to abnormal levels of certain chemicals in the brain and changes in the way the central nervous system processes pain messages carried around the body.
It can bring a hoist of symptoms with it including increased sensitivity to pain, muscle stiffness, difficulty sleeping, problems with mental processes, headaches and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Pain after surgery
After having your body cut into and sewed back up, some pain is expected. However too much pain after surgery is not a good thing, the NHS website said, and you should never feel you have to ‘tough it out’.
You should only do as much as you feel able to in the days after your operation. But it’s important to try to move around as soon as possible and follow your doctor’s advice on getting active again, the health service advised.