Are you someone who suffers from muscle or joint pain? If so, you aren’t alone. In fact, recent reports indicate that over 1 billion people in the world suffer from some sort of chronic pain. Whether you have injured yourself playing sports or are suffering from recurring shoulder or back pain, there are a few things to know about orthopedic and sports medicine. Here are just a few of them:
1. Common Orthopedic Problems – Some of the most common reasons that people visit their local orthopedic surgeon are for neck, back, shoulder, and foot problems. Studies show that over 80% of the population will experience back pain at some point during their life, and that one in four people have hip pain issues. If you deal with pain similar to this or any other type of joint or muscle pain it may be time to consult with an orthopedist. A consult doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be scheduled for orthopedic surgery the following week, and in fact many general orthopedics can be handled with physical therapy.
2. What To Know About Sports Medicine – Often times orthopedists work directly with sports medicine doctors because their practices sometimes overlap. As you can probably imagine, sports medicine physicians also deal with muscle, bone, and joint injuries day in and day out. Sports medicine has become more and more popular in the last several decades and most professional sports organizations now have entire teams of doctors available to their players both on and off the field.
3. When to Consult an Orthopedist – Deciding whether or not to see a doctor is something that thousands of Americans face on a daily basis. Of course there is no magic equation for when to see a doctor, but with orthopedics there are a few questions you can ask yourself to make the decision easier. For starters, think about the frequency of the pain you are having. If your joint, muscle, or bone pain is happening daily or weekly then that is probably something you shouldn’t ignore. Secondly, consider when your pain started.
Both orthopedic and sports medicine help millions of Americans each year whether through therapy or surgery, and you could be one of those people. Consult with an orthopedist in your area to discuss any joint, muscle, or bone pain that has been bothering you and you could be on your way to recovery in no time.