What To Do If Your Doctor Made Your Back Pain Worse

Category: Back Pain | Author: Stefano Sinicropi

Undiagnosed Back Pain

We expect that a doctor will be able to successfully help treat whatever condition is ailing us, but unfortunately that’s not always the case. In some cases, your back pain ends up worse than it was prior to your visit to the healthcare provider. This can be extremely frustrating and can leave you wondering where you should turn next for help. In today’s blog, we explain what you should do if your back pain has been made worse by a care provider.

My Doctor Made My Pain Worse

Before we dive into the advice portion, we want to note that more pain isn’t always a sign of a problem with your provider or your treatment plan. In some instances, discomfort is a sign that things are improving, especially if your previous care plan was heavy on rest or painkillers. That’s not to say that rest or painkillers can’t play a role in your recovery, but oftentimes these passive treatments don’t address the root cause of an issue.

Because of this, if your provider prescribes exercise or physical therapy, those first few days may be more uncomfortable than previous days because your body is being asked to work hard and build muscle or spinal stability. Things will get better, but oftentimes you need to put in the work to achieve these results, and that activity can be a little uncomfortable. With that said, that’s often why we work closely with our patients or refer them to physical therapists that we trust so that activity will be controlled and setbacks can be avoided.

Get a Second Opinion

However, there are instances where despite a provider’s best efforts, pain only gets worse. If you find yourself in this scenario, one of the first things you should do is to set up an appointment with a spine specialist for a second opinion. These second opinions can allow a second set of eyes to view your issue and provide their own individual assessment. Sometimes they can catch something that the first provider missed, or they can determine exactly what’s going on with your spine. Since they are a specialist, they can also provide a different treatment plan that is better suited to your needs.

It’s also important that you do not give up on getting healthier just because you suffered a setback. We know how frustrating it can be for a spinal condition to get worse, but you need to continue to control what you can control and strive to fight back against your spine pain. If you give in to the condition or stop doing the daily things you need to do to help yourself get better, the cycle of pain will only intensify.

Don’t Be Afraid to Speak Up About Your Back Pain

If you don’t feel like your treatment is working as it should, or if the pain is getting worse, it’s imperative that you speak up to a provider or a specialist. Oftentimes there are a few different ways to treat a condition, and while we don’t expect them to make things worse, if they aren’t actively helping relieve pain, it could be time to switch things up. We want to do everything we can to help you regain control over your spine pain, and we want to know if things aren’t working out so that we can find the right solution for you. You’re our top priority, and we need to know if something isn’t going as expected.

So if you are struggling to find the back pain relief that you hoped treatment would provide, or if pain seems to be getting more noticeable, let Dr. Sinicropi and his team take another look at your back and work to find a solution that’s right for you. For more information, reach out to his office today at (651) 430-3800.

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