An orthopedic doctor treats problems related to bones, joints, muscles, and tendons in your body. If you are experiencing persistent pain, swelling and decreased range of motion in any of your joints, muscle or bone, it’s time to see an orthopedic doctor for a detailed check-up.
In this article, we’ll highlight the conditions in which you should consult an orthopedic doctor without any further delay to get the timely treatment.
1. Persistent Chronic Pain
One of the major signs to see your orthopedic surgeon is when you are experiencing persistent chronic pain in your bones, muscles, or joints and it’s not getting better with pain relievers . A persistent pain indicates there’s a serious underlying issue that needs to be addressed.
In case of acute pain, you can try home remedies. If it doesn’t get resolved in 3-4 days, consult an orthopedic doctor to treat it.
2. Numbness and Tingling in your limbs
If you experience numbness and tingling in your limbs for a long time, it might indicate a nerve compression that’s causing it. Similarly, if you often get a sensation of ‘ pins and needles’ in your limbs, it’s high time to see an orthopedic doctor.
On the other hand, feeling numbness in limbs for placing them too long in the same position is quite normal and indicates poor blood circulation. However, if the tingling and numbness sensation becomes frequent and doesn’t resolve on its own then you need to get examined by an orthopedic.
3. Any injury that doesn’t Heal within a reasonable time
Orthopedic surgeons are experienced doctors who treat any injury to the bone and soft tissue( ligaments, muscle,and tendon). If you experience any bone or soft tissue injury that doesn’t heal on its own within a few days, it’s time to consult your doctor and get a detailed check-up.
An injury that becomes painful instead of healing needs proper treatment. Your orthopedic will run some tests to check the stability of the muscles and bones at the injury site. The treatment will be according to the extent of muscle and soft tissue damage.
4. Decreased range of Motion in Daily activities
A healthy body helps in completing the routine tasks comfortably. If you experience decreased range of motion in either bending, straightening or rotating a joint, it means you need a detailed examination to treat the underlying issue.
The decreased mobility can be due to injury, chronic conditions, muscle inflammation, musculoskeletal conditions, etc. It’s important to get examined by an orthopedic and get the treatment started to avoid long-term complications.
5. Constant Back pain
Our spine supports the entire body and helps perform normal body functions. Any injury or strain on the spine can affect the alignment and lead to pain. For instance, poor posture can result in spine misalignment leading to back pain. Similarly, conditions like herniated discs, spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis, etc can affect the nearby nerve in your spine and cause pain.
Persistent back pain needs to be examined by your orthopedic surgeon. He’ll run some tests like X-rays, MRI, CT-scan, etc to find the root cause and treat the pain accordingly.
