back pain questions

Back pain Questions to ask the Professionals.

Which questions about your back care and treatments should you be asking and which questions about your back pain and sciatica symptoms should you be prepared for?

Sometimes it is difficult when in a Drs surgery or a hospital or a therapist to remember all the questions to ask your doctor about back pain management and treatment for back pain and sciatica symptoms. My suggestion would be to think about it before you go and write down all your questions beforehand and then when you are in the consultation give a copy also to the healthcare professional. This is not an extensive list but a few to start you off ......

Please also see NOTE ON RECORDING PAIN

Please also see RED FLAGS and back pain

Please also see QUESTIONS YOUR DOCTOR MAY ASK YOU

Questions for you to ask.

What is the exact diagnosis?

What are all my treatment options?

Are there waiting lists for the back pain treatment options? If so how long?

What back pain assessments will you do and what will the assessments tell you about my condition?

How many sessions of treatment will I need?

What do you hope to achieve with these back pain and sciatica relief exercise sessions...how will I know they are helping me?

Can you explain to me exactly which muscles/nerves etc are involved and how they affect me and my back pain and/or sciatica?

What exactly is the medication you are prescribing and what are the side effects of the medication you are prescribing?

Will the medication and any herbal remedies I am using affect each other?

(Take in a list of all prescribed and non prescribed medications/herbal/supplements etc you take)

What happens if this doesn't work?

Could I be worse off after the treatment?

What are the risks?

How long will I be in recovery after the back surgery?

Will I need to do any maintenance? If so what?

How many appointments will I need? How frequently?

What exactly will this treatment do for me?

How much will it all cost?

How often do you /this hospital etc perform this back surgery?

Is it essential/urgent I have back surgery now? If yes why?

If it is not urgent/essential I have back surgery now can I try other treatments first then come back?

Do I need an MRI / CAT scan/X Ray or any other tests?

              Is there a waiting list?

             What is the difference between these ?

             What will these be able to tell you about my condition?

Is there anything I should/must avoid doing?

NOTE ON RECORDING PAIN.

Back Pain can be very subjective and difficult to describe accurately. It is helpful to be able to score pain on a scale of 0-10

It is especially helpful when talking with Back care professionals as you both then are talking from the same scale and can see how you are progressing.

You can make your own up, or look around to see what others have used. As long as you share your codings with the person you are talking with about your health.

This is the one I used which you are welcome to ..

0 = totally pain free

1-2=very mild, slightly nagging only occasional. Can do anything.

3=mild, annoying, still more pain free than painful. Can be affected by certain activities/interventions. Feel the need to take care.

4-5=moderate, intrusive when occurs, pain and pain free times about equal. Can be affected /eased by certain activities/interventions.

6=moderate to severe when occurs. Still not all the time but when occurs painful and affects what I can do. Activities limited. Pain relief interventions necessary.

7=Moderate to severe. More painful times than pain free. When occurs painful and affects what I can do and is debilitating. Activities restricted and interventions essential. Affects my ability to work when it occurs.

8=severe. Painful almost all the time. Doesn't seem to matter what I do or don't do. Everything is painful. Affects my quality of life. Affects my ability to work. Affects me emotionally/mentally as well as physically. Pain relief interventions crucial.

9=very severe. Always painful. Affects quality of life. Very debilitating. Affects me emotionally/mentally as well as physically. Affects my ability to work. Pain relief interventions crucial.

10.=Extremely severe. Affects everything. Activities severely limited. Unbearable. Affects me emotionally /mentally as well as physically. Cannot work. Pain relief interventions crucial and essential.

RED FLAGS

If you are in pain it is essential you see your Doctor

This is not a definitive list but If you have back pain and/or sciatica and experience any of the following you should see a doctor urgently:

Back pain and :

Loss of bowel or bladder function.

Paralysis or persistent numbness of any part of your body.

Pain in your arms and chest.

Allergic reaction to any medication.

Back pain and deformity of spine.

You are younger than 20 or older than 55 and getting back pain for the first time.

Back pain that is constant and getting worse.

Back pain and you have cancer (or have had cancer in the past).

Fever or feeling very unwell.

Progressive motor weakness.

Unexplained weight loss and back pain.

Urinary tract infection.

You are on steroid medication.

You have had a transplant.

Questions your doctor may ask you .

When you see a doctor he /she may ask you the following questions. Even if they do not ask you should go prepared to tell them.

What are your symptoms? Have you had similar symptoms before?

When did your symptoms start?
Do you have Pain, numbness, weakness, stiffness? If so where?

Do you get the pain all the time or intermittent?

How does the pain or other symptoms affect you in your life?

How long can you sit, stand, walk, drive etc?

Have you had any tests before in relation to this?

Also see Listing Record Worksheets

WANT TO GET INFORMED ABOUT YOUR BACK PAIN OR SCIATICA?

The Healthy Back Institute have now three free Back Pain advisories for you to choose from- on backpain, sciatica or herniated discs...or you could choose all three!

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