Denton County Living Well Magazine Spring 2014 | Page 33

Do I need to see an Orthopedic Surgeon?
Are you experiencing pain?
Find out if an orthopedic
surgeon can help you.

Courtesy
Denton Regional Medical Center

A

n orthopedic surgeon
studies damage within
the muscular skeletal
system and can help
to reduce the pain or
eliminate the condition. The muscular
skeletal system includes bones, joints,
tendons, ligaments and muscles. The
spine and joints are a common focus for
orthopedic medicine. According to the
National Institutes of Health, we have
over 400 bones and joints in our bodies,
not to mention muscles.

What do orthopedic surgeons do?
Orthopedic surgeons offer many
more services than surgery. They diagnose problems using various tools
and then find the best treatment for
the situation. Orthopedic surgeons
also provide preventative care and
tools for rehabilitation after an injury
or an operation.

Signs and Symptoms

If you are feeling pain in any part of
the muscular skeletal system, it’s time
to find out why.
Seek the help of an orthopedic surgeon if you are experiencing:

• Instability, such as when standing
or walking
• Swelling, tenderness or stiffness
in your joints
• Trouble moving or reaching
• Pain so severe that it wakes you
at night or keeps you awake
• Pain that prevents you from doing
ordinary tasks like walking or rising from a chair
• An untreated or changing deformity
• An untreated or changing degenerative disease such as arthritis or
osteoporosis
• Failure to eliminate pain or
improve your condition by means
of physical therapy

What happens
during an appointment?
An X-ray or bone scan will help
you and your doctor determine more
about your muscular skeletal health.
If you have experienced trauma,
these diagnostics will reveal specifics about the exact location of your
injury or what condition is occurring
and to what extent. If you have not
tried alternative treatments––from
losing weight to taking anti-inflammatory medication, among many
others––your doctor may ask you to
pursue these thoroughly before considering a procedure. Surgery should
be a last resort.
Are you ready to schedule an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon? Call Denton Regional Medical
Center today at 855- 477-DRMC or visit
us at www.dentonregional.com.

Denton County Living Well Magazine • Spring 2014

31