Be the perfect patient? When an appointment is not available and you cannot wait for a later one, ask about your options. There are often urgent care centers or emergency rooms open that can serve you. The staff at the doctor’s office may be able to tell you which type of office to visit, as well as nearby options that accept your insurance. If you’ve followed step one then you have already been tracking symptoms. Writing this information down is a good way to ensure you do not forget. It also allows you to show your doctor your symptoms versus telling them. When presenting symptoms, think about the words you’ll use and try to be accurate. Announcing that you had a fever for two days can be misleading if you don’t provide additional details. For example, most physicians don’t consider a rise in temperature a fever until it reaches 100.4 degrees F. That’s because slight variations in temperature are normal and most thermometers have a small range allotted for error. Using information such as “low grade” or “high grade” when discussing fever is a good example of presenting your symptoms accurately. The same rule applies to all symptoms, and the more information you provide, the less follow-up questions your physician will need to ask.
The most common cause of back pain ? Ligaments are bands of fibrous tissue that connect bones to joints. When a ligament is injured, it presents much like a muscle strain but it is actually referred to as a sprain. These occur when a ligament is stretched or torn. In your back, there are 14 spinal ligaments. In general, ligaments are not very flexible, which is why they are prone to injury. If you’ve experiences a ligament strain you will likely notice limited range of motion in the affected area, pain or tenderness, muscle spasms, inflammation or bruising. These symptoms can occur all together, or you may just experience a few. Because ligament strains are common, they can usually be treated at home with ice, rest, compression, over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications and keeping it elevated.
Only a small percentage (less than 10%) of patients with adult scoliosis will ever need surgery. However, if surgery is considered necessary, it is typically related to back and leg pain that interferes with activities of daily living. The most common corrective spinal surgery for the treatment of scoliosis is spinal fusion. During this procedure, the spine is fused to bone graft material to hold the spine in a straighter position. Fusion surgery may be incorporated into other procedure. This might include spinal decompression, stabilization, osteotomy or vertebral column resection to correct the deformity. In adults, most cases of scoliosis will never progress once the skeleton has matured. However, there are exceptions. The goal of scoliosis treatment for adults is to reduce any active pain, and restore physical function and balance to the body to prevent any future problems. Discover extra info at Scoliosis Surgery.
Many complain of low back and buttock pain. While there are several reasons this could occur, sacroiliac joint pain and dysfunction is one cause, and it often requires some level of medical intervention. SI joint pain and dysfunction is an ailment that commonly affects runners and other athletes as well as some people who do not identify as either. The two SI joints are in a person’s pelvis, part of the stable ring structure that also includes the symphysis pubis. Several muscles including the hamstrings, abdominals, hip flexors and gluteal muscles attach to the SI joints. This joint is different from other joints because it only allows for about two degrees of rotation and less than one millimeter of movement backward and forward, but it is a joint nonetheless. The SI joint connects a part of the spine called the sacrum to the pelvis, and as a result it absorbs a lot of stress between these two bones, which can lead to pain, especially if there is an underlying problem.
SI joint dysfunction isn’t always the cause of SI joint pain. Other potential causes of SI joint pain include sacral stress fracture, lumbar disk herniation, piriformis syndrome (a rare diagnosis that involves irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve) and ankylosing spondylitis (chronic, dull pain felt in the back, hip, and butt that often results in morning stiffness but subsides with exercise). If SI joint dysfunction is the cause of pain, an individualized treatment plan will be developed that includes both rest as well as modified activity. The goal is to rehabilitate the affected muscles by targeting the underlying cause of dysfunction and pain. In some cases, runners can change their approach to running to reduce or eliminate pain. A biomechanical evaluation of the runner can be done to assess whether or not this is the problem. Sometimes improper training, weak muscles or imbalanced muscles can be to blame. Overtraining can also be to blame. Manual therapy performed by a sports osteopath, chiropractor, physical therapist or athletic trainer is sometimes recommended as part of a doctor-prescribed therapy protocol.
Dr. Yuan treats a range of spinal disorders in patients of all ages including herniated discs and stenosis in the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine. Dr. Yuan never recommends surgery first and is a thought leader in managing degenerative spinal stenosis. Dr. Philip Yuan is a board certified Orthopedic Surgeon and fellowship trained spinal surgeon who emphasizes non-surgical treatment first and only recommends surgical procedures when absolutely necessary to better a patient’s quality of life. Read even more info at Lower back pain treatment Long Beach.