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-algia

The suffix -algia denotes pain in a particular region or structure. Neuralgia is nerve pain, myalgia muscle pain, arthralgia joint pain and cephalalgia headache.

Greek álgos = pain

pain suffix, -odynia

-algia

The suffix -odynia is used with the same meaning, for example in pleurodynia. Both endings describe a symptom, not a diagnosis.

That is an important distinction in clinical thinking: a symptom word names the complaint, a diagnostic word names its cause.

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