Are you having symptoms of an injury or chronic pain, but aren’t sure if you should schedule a visit with an orthopaedist? Here are four signs that you need to seek essential medical care from a specialist.
1. Shoulder pain that you can’t sleep through
If your shoulder hurts when you lift your arm and you have tenderness around the joint, you may have a strain or sprain. If the pain is so bad you can’t even sleep, even after routine OTC medications, then your injury may be far more severe. You could have a rotator cuff tear, tendinitis, or any of a number of shoulder injuries.
2. Knee or hip pain that makes changing position difficult
If you have trouble walking, climbing stairs, standing up or sitting down due to knee or hip pain, your joints may be compromised. You could have one or more knee injuries, including damage from an ACL injury or a meniscal tear. The chances of hip injuries go up as you age, including the likelihood of labral tears that cause your hip to “click” or freeze up.
3. Elbow pain when you raise your arm.
Elbow injuries are often caused by repetitive use of the joint from working (painters, carpenters, and window washers are particularly at risk). You can also suffer similar injuries from playing sports that require overhead swinging motions (like baseball pitching, tennis, competitive swimming, or volleyball). This can cause “tennis elbow” or a UCL injury, making your arm hurt when you raise your arm.
4. Repeated ankle injuries
Do you constantly roll, strain, or sprain your ankle? Ankle injuries get worse with each successive incident. If your ankle isn’t properly treated and braced, you could end up with lifelong issues. You could end up with a serious ligament injury or even a fracture.
Making an appointment
It’s natural to be anxious about visiting the doctor during the COVID-19 outbreak, and you may wonder if you should even be making an appointment. However, pain indicates a need for essential medical care. Our office is small, private, and we only have one or two patients in the building at a time. We also follow all safety and sanitizing protocols to keep our patients and staff safe.
Essential care
If you have severe knee pain, Dr. Strasburger can provide iovera° therapy for long-lasting pain relief. If you’ve injured your shoulder, ankle, or elbow, he can prescribe an ARYSE brace to support your joint while it heals.
Don’t let COVID prevent you from getting the safe, effective, essential medical care you need. Contact our office today at (402) 466-0100 for an appointment time.