Let’s face it: we all have aches and pains in our muscles and joints from time to time. In fact, more than 28 million Americans develop some sort of musculoskeletal problem each year. Sometimes, it’s due to an injury, poor posture or overuse of specific muscles, and often the pain goes away after a few days of rest, pain medication, or cold and hot compress.
But what if the pain doesn’t go away or even gets worse? What if it’s a chronic condition that flares up every now and then? Then it might be time to see an orthopedic doctor.
Without a doubt, anytime you experience a traumatic or repetitive motion injury to a bone, joint, tendon or nerve, an orthopedist is your best bet for effective treatment. Or, if you have chronic pain in your ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, or back, an orthopedic specialist has the training and experience to relieve and manage your symptoms if not completely eliminate your pain and instability.
Specific symptoms warranting a trip to the orthopedist include:
- Pain in muscles, tendons, or joints that lasts for more than a few days
- Difficulty using a particular body part to perform normal functions, such as walking up a flight of stairs or lifting or carrying relatively light items
- Joint pain that worsens during periods of rest
- Swelling or bruising around a specific joint or injury location
- Signs of infection, which include heat, inflammation, fever, or redness
- Joint deformity
An orthopedic physician specializes in injuries and diseases affecting the musculoskeletal system and is specially trained to diagnose, treat, and facilitate your rehabilitation from an infection, sports injury, bone fracture, arthritis or other degenerative condition, or bone tumor. An orthopedist can address anything ranging from a sprained ankle to a complex surgical procedure such as a total hip or shoulder replacement.
In most cases, an orthopedic doctor will exhaust all other viable, noninvasive treatment options such as medication and physical therapy before recommending surgery. However, if conservative treatments fail to provide relief for your pain and other symptoms, your orthopedic doctor is qualified to perform minimally invasive or complex procedures such as arthroscopic surgery and ankle, knee, shoulder and hip replacements.
Of course, early treatment of a musculoskeletal condition can prevent it from becoming more severe. Which is why consulting an orthopedist at the onset of symptoms is important. Your orthopedist can diagnose the problem, zero in on its cause, and explain your treatment options. In addition, he or she can provide information and advice regarding pain management options such as medication and/or steroid injections or physical therapy and rehabilitation.
If you are in need of an orthopedic surgeon, the physicians at the Center for Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine are dedicated to providing you with the finest patient-centered care available. We are located next to Methodist Texsan Hospital in Balcones Heights and look forward to serving you. Contact us today by calling (210) 692-7400 to schedule an appointment.
