Who To See for Back Pain

So you?ve got that nagging pain in your back, joints, hands or certain parts of your body. You?ve seen enough General Practitioners to memorise the advice (and kinds of medication) which will be dished out. However, nothing seems to work and you know for sure that what you really need now is a specialist.

But who is the right expert? To save you the confusion (and costs from unnecessary consultations), this article demystifies some medical terminologies for you:

1. A Prosthesist- works with patients who need artificial limbs to design and select the best possible prosthesis which offers safety and comfort. Main function is to enable the patient to lead a normal life at work and leisure.
2. A Physiotherapist- treats people with physical problems caused by illness, accidents or ageing. Conducts manual therapy, therapeutic exercise and application of elctro-physical modalities for fracture repair, hip dysplasia, wound healing, muscle strengthening and anything else causing movement dysfunction.
3. A Rheumatologist- specializes in treating joint and connective tissue diseases by using medications and physical therapy. They inject joint or soft tissue with medication for certain disorders. Diseases under the expertise of a rheumatologist include all different type of arthritis eg gout, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, soft tissue rheumatism eg tennis elbow, trigger finger, and connective tissue disease eg systemic lupus erythematosus, vasculitis (vessel inflammation).
4. An Orthopaedic Surgeon- are surgeons who specialize in operating on bone and joint disorders. They fix fractured bones and replace damaged joints by operation. They operate on bone tumours too. They can fix difficult soft tissue disorders by operation eg carpal tunnel release for carpal tunnel syndrome and tendon release for a severe, refractory tendonitis.
5. An Occupational Therapist- specializes in helping people regain, develop, and build skills that are important for independent functioning. He does a full assessment of the condition before working with the family to come up with a plan of treatment, gives advice and provides appropriate equipment to cope with daily activities.
6. A Podiatrist/Chiropodist - diagnoses and treats abnormalities of the lower limb. They give professional advice on the prevention of foot problems and on proper care of the foot. Particularly useful for arthritic and diabetic patients.