When Should I See A Doctor About My Pain And When Should I Treat Pain Myself?

Dr. Tarun Jolly answers the question: 'When Should I See A Doctor About Pain?'

ByABC News
November 13, 2008, 5:12 PM

— -- Question: When Should I See A Doctor About My Pain And When Should I Treat The Pain Myself?

Answer: When it comes to deciding on whether to see a doctor for your pain or treating it yourself, you need to go and kind of evaluate how important is it to you. What I typically tell my patients is that if it's bothersome to you, and if you believe it to be significant enough, it's important enough to go and see a doctor for that. Now, there are some things that you absolutely have to see a doctor, and are quite emergent to go and see a doctor. For example, if your back pain or if your neck pain develops with associated weakness, loss of sensation, or falls, or other sorts of items, then you should definitely get in to see your doctor as soon as possible. If on the otherhand, you have just mild back pain, typically, of course of just, analgesics like Ibuprofin, Motrin, or other over-the-counter agents, will do sufficient enough relief of your pain.

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