Improved
6112 HealthChanged
3786 LivesSaved
3568 Lives0 lives impacted in the last 24 hrs Learn More
Dr. Raiszadeh shares when a woman should consult with a specialist about back pain.
Dr. Raiszadeh:
The number one issue is again, duration of time. So if you have back pain for one day, two days, three days, I would, I would give it time and rest. Most of the time if it doesn’t get better within one or two weeks I would see your primary doctor, your primary, your primary specialist who looks at your lungs, hearts, the whole body sort of doctor–the medical doctor, primary physician.
And within about four weeks, three or four weeks, if it doesn’t get better, then I would see that doctor. If in about six week’s time that the back pain does not resolve and the leg pain does not resolve, then at that point I would see a specialist. Now, it depends on your complaints. If you, if you just have isolated back pain, just pain localized to your back, and you think it is attributed to lifting the baby, you think it’s attributed to the breastfeeding, you think it’s attributed to something that caused it, that would get better in time 90% of the time if not more than 90% of the time.
Now let’s say that pain, six weeks doesn’t get better, but now you have a lot of leg pain and you have weakness in your legs that you can’t bring your ankles up or down. Now if you can’t bring your ankle up or down on day one, day one you need to see a specialist. On the flip side, if you just have back pain and you have no weakness in your legs, no numbness in your legs, no problems in the legs, then at that point you can wait around six weeks to see a specialist.
But again, everything, know your baseline. The baseline is absolutely key to decide what is going on. So if you feel something is not normal, be it two weeks, be it three weeks, be it one week, that clearly you think that your symptoms are much more than what they should be, I would see your primary doctor first, your internist. Then the internist, if they are concerned about it, then they will refer them to us.
About Dr. Raiszadeh, M.D.:
Board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Dr. Ramin Raiszadeh is an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in the complex field of adult spinal surgery. He earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where he received the Paul Harrington Award for Research. He also completed a specialized internship and residency program at Baylor before achieving the highest level of medical education and fellowship training at the University of Texas Medical School. During this fellowship, under the directorship of multiple neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons, he became skilled in treating all forms of pediatric and adult spinal conditions.