Transcript:
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Next question is from Ron T. Ron’s asking what are red flags or warning signs that I should watch out for during treatment? Are there any scenarios where I should seek immediate medical attention?
I’m glad you asked this because I was going to cover this anyway. So early intervention is crucial when you’re dealing with potential complications. So you’ve got to be open with communicating with your healthcare provider throughout the treatment because if you’re concerned about something, go get it addressed. You only got one neck, you only got one life, you know, don’t let someone convince you things aren’t an issue if you feel they’re an issue because you’re the one who has to deal with it. And chances are, if you’re still stressing about it, it’s only going to make things worse. So, you know, go get some data on it and make decisions.
That being said, in terms of red flags requiring immediate medical attention, it’s somewhat of what you would expect: sudden worsening numbness, weakness, loss of balance, bladder, severe headaches, chills, fevers, night sweats, difficulty breathing, swallowing. All of these are medical emergencies. And when I say sudden worsening of pain, I mean it came out of nowhere. Like, you were good and all of a sudden, now it’s 10 out of 10. That’s usually a good indicator that your disc is worsening or there’s more nerve compression going on.
There are also general warning signs for treatment. I mean, increasing pain or discomfort with specific exercises or activities, that’s more of a scenario where you need to talk to your therapist and just, you know, change out what you’re doing. But just be mindful, like if you know you’re always doing side bending and side bending hurts, then you know it’s something to take with you and make note of that. Alright, I’ve got to be careful with side bending.
Any new weakness, numbness, things like that, you should talk to your therapist about. Same thing with dizziness or lightheadedness or nausea because those could be side effects of treatment medications. It can be your sympathetic drive going into overdrive if you will because of pain. And then lastly, uncontrolled pain despite treatment, that is definitely a warning sign that you might need to be served by another type of intervention, whether it be pain management or something else.
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