Signs You Need to Visit an Orthopedic Doctor
Bones define your body structure and protect internal organs such as the heart. Additionally, bones work together with muscles and joints to keep the body together and support body movement. While you may try to maintain healthy bones through exercise or dieting, bone problems are inevitable, especially as you age. And when you have bone problems, you could experience pain and discomfort. That's why you need to see an orthopedic physician. Here are the indicators that you should visit an orthopedic doctor.
1. Shoulder Joint Pain
When you experience pain in the shoulders that worsens in the night or with shoulder movement, you need to see an orthopedic doctor. Usually, the pain also causes tenderness in the shoulder joints, which can be an indicator of tendonitis. The condition results from injuries or overuse of the elbows, wrists, and heels, which causes the tendons to wear out or lose elasticity. Tendonitis is common among older adults and can cause swelling or inflammation of the tendons, which manifests as shoulder pain.
2. Difficulty Climbing Stairs
With time or after an accident, knee and hip joints can deteriorate, and you may feel excruciating pain when these parts function. Therefore, if you have trouble climbing stairs, you may need to see an orthopedist. Your doctor will examine the condition and give proper treatment. If the joint pain has been persistent for some time and affects your daily operations, your joints could have severe damage. If that's the case, an orthopedic surgeon may recommend joint replacement surgery to fix your joints.
3. Hand Tingling or Numbing
If you notice that you're dropping things frequently or your fingers have a tingling feeling, this can be a sign of the carpal tunnel condition. Perhaps you may have had a wrist fracture or long-term exposure to vibrating equipment. Such cases can damage the nerve that runs from your forearm to the wrist, resulting in numbing or tingling. If you're experiencing these conditions, seek treatment from an orthopedic physician immediately.
4. Worsening Injuries
After sustaining an injury, your body may swell, and you may experience pain. If you have a soft tissue injury, the swelling should go down in a few days. In contrast, if the damage worsens with time, you may be dealing with a fractured bone. You may also notice that the pain or bruise gets worse when you apply pressure to the wound or movement. Book an appointment with an orthopedic physician if your arm, hip, spine, or leg injury is only getting worse.
Shoulder joint pain, hand numbing, difficulty climbing stairs, and worsening of injuries are signs you need to see an orthopedic physician. Visit an orthopedic surgeon immediately when you see these signs