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Share Your Health Insurance Story

Are you thinking about buying health insurance this year through the Exchanges created by the...

Posted by Georgia_WebMD_Staff

0 Replies | Reply | Watch This Discussion Report This | Share this:Share Your Health Insurance Story Are you thinking about buying health insurance this year through the Exchanges created by the...

Steps For Getting Back Pain Diagnosed And Treated

Many people come to this WebMD Back Pain Community looking for help in getting a diagnosis of a cause and...

Blessings,

-Dave

Posted by davedsel57

Many people come to this WebMD Back Pain Community looking for help in getting a diagnosis of a cause and relief from their back pain. Most of us are not medical professionals that are members in this community, but we have personal experience in dealing with chronic pain due to multiple different spinal conditions.

I've decided to post this tip that lists the steps a back patient should be following for obtaining an accurate diagnosis and getting an effective treatment plan.

1. Talk to your primary doctor. Describe the symptoms you are experiencing in detail and how it is affecting your daily life — keeping you awake, preventing you from functioning normally, what your pain level is on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worst, etc.

2. If required by your health insurance, have your primary doctor give you a referral to a local spine specialist such as an orthopedic surgeon or neurosurgeon. When seeing the spine specialist, make sure to again provide all details of your symptoms.

3. The spine specialist should send you for (or do in the office if they have the equipment) a CT scan or an MRI of your spine. An x-ray will not show soft tissue such as discs and will not show all that could be causing your back pain.

4. The spine specialist should then review the results of the diagnostic testing with you. Make sure you understand everything and ask questions until you do understand.

5. The spine specialist should then provide a recommended treatment plan. This could involve seeing a pain management specialist, a physiatrist, or something simple like OTC medications and applying hot and/or cold to the area that is painful.

6. Some people benefit from physical therapy, hydrotherapy, chiropractic care, injections, exercises, or other traditional and/or non-traditional therapies. Surgery should always be a last resort but may be needed in some cases.
7. Don't do any treatment you are not comfortable with or causes you more pain.

8. Do your research on-line and be armed with knowledge about spinal conditions. Here is a link to a resource I created on this WebMD Back Pain Community that lists links to good spine sites: http://forums.webmd.com/3/back-pain-exchange/resource/10?@guest@

I hope this helps people to know how to go about getting help for their back pain.View Thread

Blessings,

-Dave

Posted by davedsel57

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33 Replies | ReplyReport This| Share this:Steps For Getting Back Pain Diagnosed And Treated Many people come to this WebMD Back Pain Community looking for help in getting a diagnosis of a cause and...

Reply: Never have I felt so helpless, so empty

Tim it does sound like you did your homework - I will praying for a good out come. Keep us posted. Deb

Posted by Debsbears

7 Replies | Reply | Watch This Discussion Report This | Share this:Never have I felt so helpless, so empty Tim it does sound like you did your homework - I will praying for a good out come. Keep us posted. Deb

Reply: L5/S1 DDD, Slipped disk.

Hello again. In reviewing your previous posts, I see that Joy recommended that you see a spine specialist...

Blessings,

-Dave

Posted by davedsel

1 Reply | Reply | Watch This Discussion Report This | Share this:L5/S1 DDD, Slipped disk. Hello again. In reviewing your previous posts, I see that Joy recommended that you see a spine specialist...

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Charl

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Reply: Hey TRS1960 - Are you still around???

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Sorry

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Reply: Chronic Pain Smell

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Posted by Deborah1413

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Posted by Sephroth

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Reply: leg pain after surgery

Hi Justme88 - that's really good news - keep us posted how you are doing~~

~~ Click on my name or picture and read my story ~~

Take care ~~ God Bless ~~

~~ Joy ~~

Posted by bj1208

3 Replies | Reply | Watch This Discussion Report This | Share this:leg pain after surgery Hi Justme88 - that's really good news - keep us posted how you are doing~~

Reply: I need some answers to what is going on.

Hello. Your best course of action would be to see your primary doctor and describe your back pain. He/she may...

Blessings,

-Dave

Posted by davedsel

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Reply: Spinal Fusion after disc replacement on same level...

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Posted by Daneille

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Reply: L6 vertebra

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~~ Click on my name or picture and read my story ~~

Take care ~~ God Bless ~~

~~ Joy ~~

Posted by bj1208

1 Reply | Reply | Watch This Discussion Report This | Share this:L6 vertebra hi and welcome to support board yes degenerative disc disease is hereditary. my mom has it as her sis and bro...

L6 vertebra

I have been recently diagnosed with an extra lumbar vertebra after a fourth visit to the ER about back pain in...

Posted by Kaisgirl

0 Replies | Reply | Watch This Discussion Report This | Share this:L6 vertebra I have been recently diagnosed with an extra lumbar vertebra after a fourth visit to the ER about back pain in...

L6 vertebra

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Posted by Kaisgirl

0 Replies | Reply | Watch This Discussion Report This | Share this:L6 vertebra I have been recently diagnosed with an extra lumbar vertebra after a fourth visit to the ER about back pain in...

L6 vertebra

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Posted by Kaisgirl

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Reply: Right TKR

Hey Dibbits - WOW!!! that is really great - keep us posted how u are doing

~~ Click on my name or picture and read my story ~~

Take care ~~ God Bless ~~

~~ Joy ~~

Posted by bj1208

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Reply: Percutaneous Disc Nucleoplasty results?

Hi and welcome to the support group - I think you should see a spine specialist and have current MRI/CT Scans...

~~ Click on my name or picture and read my story ~~

Take care ~~ God Bless ~~

~~ Joy ~~

Posted by bj1208

1 Reply | Reply | Watch This Discussion Report This | Share this:Percutaneous Disc Nucleoplasty results? Hi and welcome to the support group - I think you should see a spine specialist and have current MRI/CT Scans...

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