Anyone who has seen a doctor for back pain before:
I've had severe low back pain for 4-5 days and today it got so bad that I made an appointment this afternoon with my doctor. What will she do? Is it ok that I took 600mg Ibuprofen? I couldn't sit or lie down and it was getting harder to stand. Now at least I can sit.
2007-06-05 05:38:22 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Pain & Pain Management
Taking the pain med is fine. The doc will ask you about your symtpoms as in what kind of pain it is, when do you have it, what makes it worse and questions along that line. He will then feel your spine with his fingers and press to see where the pain is and what makes it worse etc,. He may ask you to try to touch your toes or the ceiling. He will then order x-rays probably and then prescribe meds and maybe some therapy for you. If he thinks you need to see an orthopedic doc he will set that up.
2007-06-05 05:43:45 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have osteo-arthritis in the severe degenerative stages, I've had surgery on my spine twelve times. I have thirty two screws, twelve cadaver bones and twelve of my own bones along with 32 pieces of wire holding my spine together. I know what your talking about. I've been on a drug program for pain for about fourteen years and, it's starting to get worse with age, I'm now 68 yr. old.
I have severe nerve damage. The doctor will go through a process of diagnoses with you, he'll decide weather to have you take MRI's or send you directly to a bone surgeon, whom will then have the MRI's if he's really up to date he may have the new CAT's scan in the three dimensional phases, you'll be lucky.
With this they'll confer and decide what to do. They don't rush into surgery anymore, sometimes it can be worse then leaving it go. They may have you go through a series of therapy, water therapy is the best now days.
Good luck and hang in there.
2007-06-05 13:33:39 · answer #2 · answered by cowboydoc 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can take up to 800 mg of ibuprofen.
It could be anything from a muscle strain to arthritis. He'll find out where it hurts and determine what needs to be done - if anything.
Thermacare patches are good - I have severe muscle spasms and they help. Also Lidoderm patches are good.
2007-06-05 12:42:56 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
may have start of arthritis / maybe take x-ray
2007-06-05 13:02:38 · answer #4 · answered by hotdogsarefree 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋