“I have back and leg pain…”

“Why does my back and leg hurt? I didn’t fall or have a car accident. It really came out of nowhere. My doctor gave me tramadol and that’s it. What should I do?”

It’s very important to determine what is causing your pain and any other symptoms.

It’s impossible to know enough about what’s wrong without going through a good history, an examination, and possibly other testing that might include x-rays, lab work, an MRI, … as so many different problems cause pain.

This would have to be the first step before prescribing any type of treatment or giving any advice that could help.

Tramadol is a very powerful pain reliever that is an opiate. As an opiate, it has some risks that have been so often talked about in the news over the last several years.

Pain relievers can reduce pain temporarily however something is causing the pain and that really needs to be identified… maybe the cause has been determined and your doctor didn’t explain it to you.

Of course most commonly it’s a musculoskeletal problem but it could be so many different things ranging from something very mild to something very serious.

What should you do next for your back and leg pain?

You may consider seeing your doctor again to find out what he or she feels is wrong. If not, certainly see someone else. In either case, find out what’s wrong first.

This requires an in person visit with a healthcare practitioner that understands how to evaluate back and leg pain.

I would see a chiropractor simply because a chiropractor would be able to determine if it’s a musculoskeletal problem as well as what that problem is and what can be done to improve it.

A chiropractor would also perform or refer you out for any imaging or testing if necessary. They would also refer you to another doctor or specialist if your problem wasn’t a musculoskeletal problem or if it required other care beyond what they do.

Are you suffering from back and/or leg pain in Texarkana?

Come see us. We’re here to help!

Dr. Hagebusch at Hagebusch Chiropractic Texarkana has helped thousands of Texarkana area people since moving to Texarkana in 1999, recover from and improve so many different back problems ranging from “arthritis,” degenerative disc disease, disc bulges, disc herniations, sciatica, spinal ligament injuries, and much more.

Dr. Hagebusch is a 1996 graduate of Parker College of Chiropractic. He has a Bachelor of Science in Anatomy and has completed over 500 post-doctorate hours in functional neurology. He continues his studies in neurology and in functional medicine with the Kharrazian Institute under Dr. Kharrazian in order to better serve his patients suffering with a variety of both acute and chronic problems.