Pain is easier to handle when you can tell whether it is clearly local or part of a wider illness. If the pain is in one place, such as a shoulder, knee or sprained ankle, local care can be a sensible first step. Cold, heat, support, gentle movement and a local pain product may be enough if the person otherwise feels well and the injury does not look serious.
If the pain comes with fever, marked weakness, chest symptoms, shortness of breath, confusion, numbness or rapidly worsening abdominal pain, it is no longer just a local ache. In that case the priority is to find the cause rather than cover it up.
Local pain or whole-body illness#
When choosing what to do, it helps to separate a local problem from a general symptom. A single sore spot often behaves differently from pain linked to an infection or another wider problem.
If the pain is clearly in one area, the first step is often simple support and careful observation. If the symptom pattern changes, the pain spreads or the general condition gets worse, the self-care plan needs to stop and the cause should be checked.
Everyday pain situations#
Headache often improves once you drink water, eat something small and give the eyes and mind a break. If headaches happen often, medication overuse headache should also be kept in mind, because pain medicine can become part of the problem if it is needed repeatedly.
Back pain often settles over time, and many people do better when they stay lightly active and avoid only those movements that clearly make the pain worse.
Menstrual pain often improves with warmth on the lower abdomen, rest and gentle movement. A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine may help if it suits you. If the pain is new, unusually strong or comes with other worrying symptoms, assessment is sensible.
When it is worth checking the medicine cabinet#
If you keep several pain products at home, check the active ingredients. The same ingredient can be present in more than one product. That matters because accidental duplication is easy when pain lasts several days.
Topical pain gels or patches can be a good choice when the pain is clearly in one area. They can reduce the load on the whole body compared with an oral medicine.
When to seek care#
Seek care immediately if pain comes with shortness of breath, squeezing chest pain, sudden one-sided weakness, speech difficulty, severe stiff neck or a sudden vision change.
Seek care as well if the pain follows an injury, gets worse day by day, comes with fever and a clearly worse general condition, or wakes you repeatedly at night.
If the choice of self-care is unclear, it is better to confirm it with healthcare than to keep guessing.
Further reading and sources#
Further reading: