3 Ways To Avoid Getting Fooled By Back Pain

Category: Spine | Author: Stefano Sinicropi

April-Fools-Back-Pain

Happy April Fool’s Day! Hopefully you haven’t been fooled by your family or coworkers yet today, but another aspect of your life that can keep you guessing it your back. Your spine is an intricate structure, and sometimes you can be fooled into thinking you have one spinal condition or a less serious condition when you should actually be consulting with a spine specialist. Today, we’re going to share three tips for not getting fooled by back pain.

Common Back Issues And How To Avoid Them

Here’s a look at three ways back pain can fool patients and prevent them from getting the treatment they need.

  1. The Pain Is Felt Elsewhere – The spine is a unique structure in that many nerves pass through it on their way to the brain, so sometimes a problem in the spine can lead to the onset of pain, numbness or muscle weakness in another part of your body. That tingling sensation in your toes or that shooting pain in your wrist could actually be caused by a compressed nerve in your spine. Far too often people think that their problem is housed in the same location as their symptoms, and while that’s sometimes true, it’s not always the case with your spine. Don’t assume that pain in your leg means the source of the issue is located in your leg.
  2. Similar Symptoms – Another common issue with back problems is that many of them present with similar symptoms. If you’re dealing with localized back pain, sensitivity, inhibited range of motion or pain that gets worse with movement, you’re like a lot of people with back pain, and that really doesn’t help pinpoint exactly what’s going on in your body. This isn’t usually a problem for specialists and doctors who have numerous diagnostic abilities at their fingertips, but for the patient Googling their symptoms at home, they might self-diagnose themselves with anything from a muscle sprain to a spinal tumor and everything in between. It can be hard to pinpoint exactly what you’re dealing with because symptoms for different spinal conditions can be nearly identical, which brings us to our last point.
  3. A Doctor’s Diagnosis – One final reason people get fooled by their back pain is because they forgo a trip to the doctor’s office. As we mentioned above, maybe they did some internet research or they listened to their Grandma’s back pain advice that has been passed down for generations. Either way, these aren’t the best ways to get to the bottom of your back pain and accurately treat the underlying cause of pain. Don’t be fooled by quick fix treatments or by trusting unsourced medical information online. We know that going to the doctor isn’t fun, but neither is back pain, and if going to the doctor means no more back pain, it’s worth it. Together, we can ensure that you won’t be fooled by your back pain.

If you want help getting to the bottom of your back pain, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi’s office today!

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