Warning Signs: Your Injury Is Serious Enough You Should See a Doctor
Obviously, if you break your leg, you’ll go straight to the nearest emergency room. But it’s harder to figure out what to do if you twist your ankle or have aching knee pain. Will you be fine with rest and ice, or need to check it out?
We spoke with Dr. Bradley Sandella , Program Director of Sports Medicine at Christiana Care Health System , about how to find out what common injuries you can manage on your own and when you should see a professional. Here are the warning signs to watch out for:
The moment everything changed
Knowing exactly when you hurt yourself is a sign that your injury could be serious. “If you step on a curb and roll your ankle, or you’re in the gym doing something and you hear a sudden pop,” says Dr. Sandella, you are more likely to rip or break something than if you have. dealing with pain that has developed over time.
Inability to walk
If you have injured your leg or ankle so badly that you cannot walk a few steps, this is a sign that you have broken a bone. Emergency room health care providers will use your ability to bear the weight of your leg as part of their criteria when deciding if you need an X-ray .
Dr. Sandella says that even if nothing is broken, it is also helpful to seek help if you have difficulty walking, because over time you can cause or worsen other problems due to how you limp or compensate for an injury.
A joint that is blocked or feels unstable
If a knee or other joint is not behaving properly, this is another reason to check. There was no pain when I tore the ACL , but my knee wobbled whenever I turned a corner. “This is typical for ligament tears,” says Dr. Sandella. The joint can bend and you fall, but even the odd sense of instability is a big red flag.
Likewise, it is a bad sign if you feel like a joint is jamming or blocking when you try to move it. This could mean that you have a piece of torn cartilage that is interfering with movement of the joint, just like a door stop prevents a door from closing. Ligament and cartilage ruptures are injuries in which a doctor may consider surgery, although this depends on the severity and your personal situation.
A cleft or sprain in a muscle with bruising
Muscle stretching , more precisely called stretching , literally tears the muscle tissue apart. If you only break a few fibers, it is a microscopic injury that causes some soreness and can easily heal on its own. But it is also possible to sever so many muscles that you will need surgery to repair them. Somewhere in the middle there are tensions that need to be immobilized and cured with the help of a special physiotherapist’s program.
You will recognize that a muscle strain is a serious problem, says Dr. Sandella, if there is a “deformation” in the muscle – for example, a fossa in a sore spot. Bleeding from a muscle can also cause a mass that looks like a giant bruise , which is another sign that you have some pretty serious stress.
Any symptoms after a head injury
Even if you didn’t pay attention to head injuries in the past, we now know that concussions can be much more serious than they seem. Any symptom that follows a head injury is a sign of brain damage.
This includes dizziness, nausea, or confusion, as well as classic cartoons such as blackouts or double vision. Even a headache is a reason for seeking treatment.
Diagnosing a concussion is especially important for athletes and children because you really don’t want a second concussion before you fully recover from the first. Treatment can be as simple as resting and waiting out the symptoms, but more sophisticated treatments are becoming available.
Soreness that gets worse over time
Overuse injuries such as knee and ankle pain that runners suffer from are not always a cause for concern. If you are only in pain while running, Dr. Sandella recommends rest and strengthening exercises . If you suspect you have tendonitis , such as achilles tendon pain, it is best if you can avoid taking anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil for the first two to three days.
These injuries only cause concern when they get worse over time, or if they used to only cause pain during exercise but now also cause pain afterwards. This could indicate a stress fracture , especially if pain is felt near the bone.
Tendinitis is a short-term injury, but it can progress to a chronic condition called tendinosis , which requires more specialized treatment. A physical therapist can give you an exercise program to help your tendons heal. In extreme cases, you may need a needle or surgery.
How to get the best help
The injuries described here are not urgent. If you do not have signs of a fracture , such as an inability to use or move a limb, injuries can usually wait a few days before you decide whether to seek treatment.
According to Dr. Sundell, a week should be the limit for shoulder and elbow injuries because you can develop adhesive capsulitis , more commonly known as “frozen shoulder,” if you stop moving your shoulder. Elbows can have a similar problem.
When you decide to seek help, you have a choice of providers. The decision depends on which provider is best for you, as well as availability and your coverage, Dr.Sundell said.
Your PCP is a great place to start, and if you don’t have one or can’t go to her, an emergency clinic is another good option. If you think you have a serious injury, you can go to a specialist, such as a therapist , right away.
In some states, you also have the option to see a physical therapist right away. They can create a specific exercise plan to help you recover from your injury, and they can also refer you to a doctor if your injury is beyond what they can handle alone.
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