A variety of symptoms can indicate a serious spinal issue, including a few you wouldn’t expect. If you are experiencing any of these signs, you may be dealing with a spine issue or injury and should reach out to a physician.
Loss of Bladder or Bowel Control
If you lose control over your bladder or bowel movements, you may have a serious spinal injury and need to immediately go to the Emergency Room. This symptom may indicate your spinal cord is injured, and can’t send the correct signals through your nerves to control the bladder and bowels.
Tingling, Burning or Numbness
Tingling, burning or numbness in the leg or arm, particularly if it extends below the knee or elbow, could indicate a disc problem, such as a herniated disc or degenerative disc disease. These issues require medical attention to fully recover, and you should schedule an appointment with a spine specialist within two days of the beginning of your symptoms.
Difficulty Moving Limbs
If you have trouble moving your arms or legs, you may have a disc problem. Seek help from a spine specialists within a couple days of the onset of your symptoms to give your condition the best chance at a full recovery.
Severe Trauma
Pain that comes after trauma sustained from a fall, car wreck or other sort of accident should be treated quickly. There’s no way to know the severity of your injury, and what needs to be done for you to completely recover, until a physician evaluates your condition. You may have fractured bones in your spine or a herniated disc, and an X-ray will likely be required to accurately assess your condition.
Neck Pain Accompanied by Other Symptoms
Neck pain accompanied by headache, nausea or an aversion to bright lights may indicate a severe spinal cord injury, and you should go to the Emergency Room immediately. Prolonging treatment could worsen your symptoms, resulting in a longer recovery.
Back Pain Accompanied by Fever
Back pain accompanied by a fever, which is a temperature of 101 or above in adults, indicates there may be an infection in the kidney or spine, and you should seek treatment from a spine specialist immediately.
Constant Pain
If you treat your back pain with rest, ice and an anti-inflammatory and it persists, call a spine specialist. Pain that lasts, even after common home remedies, for more than a month isn’t likely to resolve itself, and will need treatment from a physician.
Whether you experience debilitating pain or annoying aches, Baptist Health Spine Center is equipped to help you identify the source of your symptoms, and provide you with the care you need to get back to your most amazing life. Our new Baptist Health Spine Center combines non-surgical spine physicians, spine therapists and spine surgeons in one convenient location, giving our patients access to the complete continuum of spinal care. Learn more about our innovative, multi-disciplinary approach, or schedule an appointment with one of our specialists.