Prevent

Shoulder pain is often worse at night because lying down presses on the sore spot and lets the arm sag. The usual causes, how to set up your pillows to sleep, and when night pain needs checking.

Turf toe is a sprain of the big toe joint: a mild one settles in about a week, a partial tear in a few weeks, and a complete tear can take up to six months. Most heal without surgery if the toe is protected from bending back with taping, a stiff sole or a boot.

When hamstring tendons tear off the sitting bone, surgery is usually advised if two or three tendons have pulled well away, and repairs within about 4 weeks tend to do better. Smaller tears often heal with rehab; either way, expect several months before full sport.

Stem cell injections haven’t been shown to regrow cartilage or beat standard treatment, and the FDA hasn’t approved any for arthritis, tendon or back pain. Many contain few or no living stem cells, and they often cost thousands.

Prolotherapy injects an irritant, usually sugar water, into sore tendons, ligaments or joints, but the evidence is weak and mixed. It’s generally safe, rarely covered by insurance, and no substitute for exercise.

Radiofrequency ablation uses heat to switch off the small nerves carrying pain from a spinal or knee joint. It needs a test block first, relief usually lasts 6 to 12 months, and it can be repeated if it helped.

Gel (hyaluronic acid) injections help some people with knee arthritis a little, but much of the relief also happens after salt water injections, and guideline groups disagree. If they work, relief builds over weeks and can last several months.

Scoliosis in adults is common, especially after 60, and most people never need surgery. Pain usually comes from worn joints and squeezed nerves rather than the curve, so exercise, pain relief and injections help most people.

Haglund’s deformity is a bony bump on the back of the heel that irritates the Achilles and the bursa beside it. The bump stays without surgery, but the pain usually settles with open or soft-backed shoes, a heel lift and calf exercises on flat ground.

Cervical myelopathy is pressure on the spinal cord in the neck, and its early signs are subtle: poor balance, clumsy or numb arms and stiff legs. Unlike a pinched nerve it tends to worsen slowly, which is why surgery is often recommended when it’s moderate or progressing.