How do you know whether your pain needs to be evaluated by your chiropractic physician?
How do you know whether your pain needs to be evaluated by your chiropractic physician? This is the age-old question. The answer needs to be specific to your particular problem, rather than a one-size-fits all solution. But there are good guidelines that everyone can follow.
Is your pain deep and boring? Deep and boring pain usually means something is seriously wrong. If you’re woken up at night by this type of pain, a visit to a chiropractic physician or family physician is in order.
If you’re experiencing pain that radiates down your leg, or have numbness or tingling sensations traveling down your leg, you should call a chiropractic physician and ask to be seen right away. Or, if you don’t have any radiating pain, but sneezing or coughing does provoke a radiating sensation, take the same action. Similarly, the amount of pain you’re having will determine what you do. If the pain is severe, see your chiropractic physician.
If none of these criteria are present, decision-making gets a bit murky. How you handle your problem will depend on your tolerance for pain. If you have low tolerance, make an appointment to see a chiropractic physician and get some expert treatment. If you have a higher pain threshold, you might still call for an appointment just to make sure that nothing is seriously wrong. Certainly, if you haven’t improved at all after 2 to 3 days, you need to see a chiropractic physician.
These guidelines provide a sound basis for decision-making, but please remember they are just that – guidelines. Each person needs to be comfortable with their own process. And, of course, it’s always much better to be safe than sorry. A chiropractic physician is always available to help you sort out these kinds of problems. Contact us today to learn more.