Should You Share with your Woodlawn Chiropractor?

Should You Share with your Woodlawn MD Chiropractor?

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So, you've got some musculoskeletal pain and you've decided to make an appointment to see your chiropractor, Dr. Barrett, in Woodlawn, Maryland. Once you arrive at the office and complete your paperwork our kind staff would bring you into a room to talk to Dr. Barrett. One of the most important parts of this meeting is you giving the doctor a full history of your pain and condition and a full past medical history.

Believe it or not, your family medical history is significant as well.

When the doctor asks you about all of these things it is not just out of curiosity but it is out of total necessity. There are hundreds and hundreds of musculoskeletal conditions and there are even more internal medical conditions that can mimic musculoskeletal problems.

Worse yet, there are many internal medical conditions that can be masked by musculoskeletal pain. Giving your chiropractor limited information about all of you medical issues is like asking your auto mechanic to figure out why your four tires are wearing unevenly but all you bring the mechanic to look at is the tires themselves. The only thing the mechanic can tell you at that point is, "Yes, your tires are in fact wearing unevenly." You'd have to bring in the vehicle and tell the mechanic if that vehicle had even been in an accident, is it pulling to one side when you break, when was the last time you had an alignment, etc. Like the mechanic, your Doctor of Chiropractic needs the WHOLE picture to get to the bottom of your pain.

Did you know that lower back spinal dysfunction, in more advanced cases, can affect your bowel or bladder function? It is important then that your chiropractor be made aware of symptoms like irritable bowel syndrome, frequent constipation or diarrhea, frequent urination or urinary incontinence. Did you know that heart issues can cause pain in the mid back especially around your left shoulder blade? With a full medical and family history it is likely that when you present to your chiropractor with mid back pain that doctor could help discover a problem with your heart BEFORE a catastrophic event. Also, did you know that neck and upper back pain can mask problems with the blood vessels that go to your head and upper body? A good and honest history from the patient can point your chiropractor in the right direction and those blood vessel problems can often be found and evaluated by another kind of specialist BEFORE another type of catastrophic event can happen. Even problems like a fractured ankle from 20 years ago can affect the stability of your spine. TELL YOUR DOCTOR EVERYTHING!

So, I think we can agree that even though some of your symptoms or history, both personal and familial, may not seem to you to be important clinical facts, your friendly Woodlawn, Maryland Chiropractor may strongly disagree. Help me help you in the fullest way possible and share EVERYTHING about your condition and history. Give us a call at Barrett Family Chiropractic at 410-265-9911 or stop in to see us at 1724 Woodlawn Drive, Suite 7, Baltimore, Maryland 21207 to let us help you with your pain and for a good dose of preventative medicine!

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