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Who should you go to if your back hurts, which doctor should you contact
We understand the most popular question.
This question is relevant for many people, especially those who lead a sedentary lifestyle – they work in the office and move little. Most often, pain appears in the lumbar or cervical regions and disappears after a good rest. However, it can also be a symptom of serious malaise.
Who to go to if your back hurts: identifying the cause
Regardless of the intensity of pain, you must immediately contact a medical institution. Only a specialist can make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment. Self-administration of drugs can lead to a deterioration in well-being and aggravation of the disease.
The most common causes of back pain are:
scoliosis, herniated intervertebral discs, osteochondrosis and other problems with the spine;
inflammatory processes;
diseases of the lungs, kidneys, heart and other internal organs.
You should not try to find out the cause of the disease yourself. The medical institution will tell you who to go to if your back hurts.
Back hurts: which doctor should I go to?
For back pain, one of the following specialists will help.
A vertebrologist is a doctor who specializes in diseases of the spine. To diagnose the disease, ultrasound, X-ray, MRI or computed tomography are used. Thanks to special skills, the doctor knows exactly how to treat certain diseases. For recovery, in addition to drugs, physiotherapy exercises and other procedures are prescribed.
Neurologist – this doctor, although he does not have a narrow specialization, will help determine the cause of the disease. In addition, getting to a neurologist is easier than making an appointment with a vertebrologist.
Nephrologist and urologist – you should contact them if spinal pathologies are excluded, but there is a suspicion of kidney disease.
The therapist will help identify the initial cause, if it is not pronounced, and send it to the right specialist.
Before deciding which doctor to go to if your back hurts, remember if the pain is the result of sudden movements or excessive physical exertion.
Even if painful sensations do not cause problems, you should immediately contact a medical institution for advice. Mild pain may indicate the development of a pathology that can be cured at the initial stage. The specialist will help you return to normal life.
traumatologist-orthopedist, Ph.D., c. n. with. Spine Surgery Department of the Russian Scientific Center for Surgery
– It is generally accepted that warming belts and ointments heal. In some cases, with their help, you can really get rid of discomfort. They improve blood flow, thereby relieving muscle spasm that causes pain (in this case, it is localized, when you press on some points, it increases sharply, and if the muscle should be properly stretched, it decreases).
However, warming ointments and belts do not cure, but only relieve symptoms. The back aches constantly – you need to look for the reason. These can be excessive physical exertion, an uncomfortable posture during work, hypothermia, spinal diseases, injuries, and even stress.