Urgent Pain Problems

Chapter 15 addresses conditions that require prompt evaluation but are not generally in the group of conditions that are true emergencies. Included in this chapter are acute migraine, other severe nonemergent headaches, facial pain, severe low back pain, acute severe neuropathies such as shingles and diabetic amyotrophy, abdominal pain, and acutely painful muscle conditions requiring prompt attention, such as myositis and rhabdomyolysis. The differential diagnosis of headache with visual impairment is reviewed, as is the differential diagnosis of facial pain. Strategies for the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of atypical focal pains that can represent unusual presentations of common problems as well as uncommon conditions are discussed.