Be the perfect patient? A good rule of thumb for establishing good questions and opening a health-conscious dialogue with your physician is to consider the future. Are you guilty of googling medical advice? Ask your doctor what sites they recommend for knowledgeable medical information. Is your problem turning chronic? Ask how to prevent a specific illness in the future. With a doctor, you can pick their brain about weight loss advice and personal health goals. It’s also acceptable to question the prescriptions you are given. Ask why you are taking a specific medication to learn its function, or even ask about the necessity of certain pills. Are there negative side effects? Perhaps they aren’t worth the risk to you. A common example of questioning medication is antibiotic use. If you are prescribed an antibiotic, ask if the treatment is necessary. Many times a physician will tell you it’s okay to take a wait-and-see approach and only fill the prescription if symptoms worsen or do not resolve within an allotted time period.
The most common cause of back pain ? Scoliosis is curvature of the spine. It is considered a deformity and depending on how severe the curvature is and where it is located, it can result in back pain. Scoliosis can also lead to the breakdown of discs and joints in the back. For this type of affliction, severity and pain levels often determine treatment. Some with minor curvature can benefit from stretching and massage appointments, others result to chiropractors for correction of the curve but in other cases a brace or surgery is recommended.
Those who enter into a SI joint rehabilitation program can usually return to running with minor modifications. The more severe the case is, the more modifications will have to be made and longer rest period a physician may recommend. Many runners can return to running immediately by making modifications, but others with more severe pain may need to rest and rehabilitate for a while. In the latter case, it’s important that athletes take time to recover so they aren’t doing permanent damage to their body. Usually, a rehabilitation protocol and possible intervention to treat underlying cause (biomechanics, physical attributes, muscle problems) will result in complete recovery and zero residual pain. Surgical intervention offers similar results for more severe cases. With minimally-invasive Sacroiliac Joint Fusion procedures, doctors have reported less post-surgical bleeding and bruising as well as a shorter operating time. See even more details on Si Joint Surgery.
Scoliosis is a medical condition in which the person’s spine curves sideways. This condition usually includes pain, uneven shoulders, and differing leg length. Adult scoliosis occurs when a person has reached spinal maturity. What is it scoliosis? Adult scoliosis is defined as a spinal deformity in a skeletally mature patient with a curvature of more than 10 degrees. When this curvature occurs, it can be accompanied by twisting or rotating of the spine as well, and the spine takes on the shape of an elongated “S”. Adult scoliosis can be classified into four major groups: Type 1- Primary degenerative scoliosis is caused by disc deterioration and/or facet joint arthritis. This condition causes back pain, and an asymmetrically change in the spinal column. Type 2- Idiopathic adolescent scoliosis that has progressed in adulthood. This may be the result of secondary degeneration and/or spinal imbalance, with or without a history of corrective spinal surgery. Type 3- Secondary adult curves a) resulting from a neuromuscular or joint abnormality causing a leg length discrepancy or hip pathology, or b) caused by metabolic bone disease (osteoporosis) combined with asymmetric arthritic disease and/or vertebral fractures. Patients that experience these symptoms predominantly complain of back pain, then leg pain and claudication symptoms (pain in the feet, calves, thighs, hips or buttocks with exercise) and numbness or tingling.
In some cases, surgery can be performed to reduce or eliminate SI joint pain. The two most common surgical approaches are SI joint stabilization and joint fusion, both of which are typically done after other therapies have failed. For the latter, minimally invasive Sacroiliac Joint Fusion systems has shown positive results in treating SI joint dysfunction. Individualized rehabilitation programs aim to treat the underlying cause of SI joint pain. By treating the underlying cause, the pain should subside and the runner can return to their routine with little modification. Sometimes bracing will be needed while a person heals. In cases where pain is severe, pain medication or steroid injections may be recommended to keep pain under control while the person rehabilitates, and when the dysfunction is very severe, surgical intervention may be required to eliminate pain and treat dysfunction and its underlying causes.
Long Beach Spine Surgeon, Dr. Yuan, uses surgical and non-surgical treatments to relieve chronic pain in the neck and back. Learn more about the top 5 causes of back pain. Dr. Yuan is a board certified Orthopedic Surgeon and fellowship trained spinal surgeon. He specializes in the treatment of all spinal disorders including issues with the neck and back. He treats conditions that affect the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine utilizing both surgical and non-surgical interventions. Dr. Yuan emphasizes non-surgical treatment first and only recommends surgical procedures when absolutely necessary to better a patient’s quality of life. Discover additional details at Yuanspine.com.